OSTUME  DESIGN 

AND 

HOME  PLANNING 


ESTELLE    PEEL    IZOR 


COSTUME   DESIGN 

AND 

HOME  PLANNING 


Cbstunie^esfcp.  an 
Home  planning  : 
Gstefle  *  DedL* 


Dorter*  ^.BTOIUTL*  *  GundL» 
RxicheL  •  Toft- TMxon; 


Atkinson,  »  GDenlg 


Boston.  NeiuVork, 

_^  ^^^     *^ 

Chicago,  Dallas. 


Copyright  1916  by 
ESTELLE  PEEL  IZOR 


LIST  OF  PLATES 
COSTUME  DESIGN 

Plate  A.     Color  and  Design  in  Dresses. 

PAGE 

Plate                 I.     Good  Spacing  in  Striped  Materials 3 

Plate               II.     Arrangement  of  Tucks 8 

Plate             III.     Good  Design  in  Plaids.  .  .  ^ 13 

Plate             IV.     Incorrect  Use  of  Line  in  Dresses 19 

Plate               V.     Plans  for  Fancy  Aprons 25 

Plate             VI.     Utility  Aprons 29 

Plate           VII.     Rhythm  in  Laces 33 

Plate         VIII.     Correct  Use  of  Flower  Forms 40 

Plate             IX.     Imitation  of  Nature  Forms,  a  Violation ...  50 

Plate               X.     Violation  of  Principles  in  Waists 63 

Plate             XI.     Structural  and  Weak  Lines  in  Dresses.  ...  85 

Plate           XII.     Color  in  Dresses 89 

HOME  PLANNING 

Plate  XIII.  The  Houses 95 

Plate  XIV.  A  Room,  Redecorated  and  Furnished  by 

Students 99 

Plate  XV.  Floor  Plans 112 

Plate  XVI.  Living  Room,  Lucy  Fitch  Perkins 124 

Plate  XVII.  Wrong  Use  of  Horizontal  Lines 139 

Plate  XVIII.  Another  View  of  Room,  Redecorated  and 

Furnished  by  Students 146 

Plate  XIX.  The  Balancing  of  Furniture 153 

Plate  XX.  The  Height  of  Chair  in  Relation  with 

Other  Objects 156 

Plate  XXI.  Large  Objects  Add  Dignity  to  a  Room 162 

Plate  XXII.  Dining  Room 166 

Plate  XXIII.  Convenience  in  a  Kitchen 172 

Plate  XXIV.  A  Breakfast-ell  in  a  Kitchen 176 

Plate  XXV.  Built-in  Dressing  Table 183 

Plate  XXVI.  Built-in  Closets 191 

Plate  XXVII.  Color  in  a  Room 202 

Plate  XXVIII.  Dining  Room— Lucy  Fitch  Perkins 208 

V 


3G0538 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 
COSTUME 

CHAPTER  PACK 

I.     Good  Spacing  of  Parallel  Lines. 

A.  Striped  Materials 1 

B.  Tucks  and  Hem 6 

II.     Plaids 10 

III.  Suitability  of  Line  to  Figure 15 

IV.  Aprons 22 

V.     Rhythm  in  Laces  and  Embroidery 31 

VI.     Color  Theory  in  Relation  to  Dress 36 

VII.     Color  and  Complexion 45 

VIII.     Self-Criticism 53 

IX.     Structural  Lines  in  Waists 57 

X.     Appropriateness 64 

XI.     Design  in  Dress  Fabrics 75 

XII.    Design  in  Dress 80 

PART  II 
HOME  PLANNING 

PAGE 

XIII.  The  Home 96 

XIV.  Choice  of  Site 104 

XV.    The  Appearance  of  the  House 114 

XVI.     Compact  Arrangement,  a  Survey 127 

XVII.    Wood  Finish 141 

XVIII.     Fundamental  Principles,  1 149 

XIX.     Fundamental  Principles,  II 160 

XX.     Choice  of  Furniture 169 

XXI.     Pictures  and  Floor  Coverings 179 

XXII.     Color  in  a  Room 194 

To  the  Teacher 207 

VII 


COSTUME 

The  purpose  of  the  book  on  Costume  Design  is 
to  help  establish  in  the  minds  of  girls  a  sane,  sen- 
sible, well-balanced  attitude  toward  dress,  and  to 
help  them  to  realize  that  beauty  is  dependent  upon 
principles  of  Art,  as  well  as  to  attain  a  standard 
by  which  they  may  be  guided  in  the  artistic,  eco- 
nomic, and  wise  selection  of  the  innumerable  com- 
mon things  that  their  daily  life  compels  them  to  use. 

The  subject-matter  is  presented  from  the  art  side 
alone,  and  deals  with  materials  and  construction 
only  when  these  elements  influence  the  character  of 
the  design.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to  present 
this  matter  from  the  viewpoint  of  either  Domestic 
Art  or  Commercial  Costume  Designing,  although 
it  should  be  the  basis  of  both. 

The  course  was  begun  by  another,  but  has  been 
developed  wholly  by  myself.  It  is  correlated  with 
the  Domestic  Art  Department  to  the  degree  that 
the  garments  designed  in  Costume  classes  are  made 
in  the  Domestic  Art  classes. 

The  author  gratefully  acknowledges  the  assistance 
of  Helen  R.  Lang,  who  has  edited  the  manuscript  of 

IX 


the  book,  of  Jane  Rawls  McCrea  and  Sara  Bard,  co- 
workers  in  the  class  room  in  Costume  Design,  and  of 
others  who  have  contributed  in  thought,  high  ideals, 
and  inspiration  more  than  I  can  hope  to  acknowledge. 

ESTELLE  PEEL  IZOR. 
Indianapolis,  Indiana. 


The,  first  purpose; 
of  Clothes  mas  not 
for  urarmttx^or  de- 
cency, but  ornament^ 
ff  Hurt"  changes 
uirouaht  ,  not  by 
Time,  yet  in,  Time-Us 
Clothes  gave  us  iixr 

* 


sociaL  polity  ; 
Qothes  have-  made 
of  us/'^^V^ 
*     'Carlyle- 


:  j 

PLATE  A 


CHAPTER  I 

GOOD   SPACING  OF  PARALLEL  LINES 

A.      STRIPED    MATERIALS 

From  the  simplest  form 
of  design  in  wearing 
apparel  through  the 
multitude  of  details  that 
compose  the  more  com- 
plex forms,  good  spac- 
ing is  the  essential  fac- 
tor. Casual  reading  and 
seeing  alone  will  not  de- 
velop critical  powers  to 
a  degree  sufficient  to  en- 
able one  to  judge  of  fine 
form  or  color.  It  is  through  persistent  effort  in  the 
doing  that  one  attains  good  judgment  and  acquires 
discriminate  taste. 

The  simplest  form  of  design  in  its  relation  to  dress 
is  the  grouping  of  such  parallel  lines  as  are  found  in 
striped  materials,  to  produce  good  spacing.  To  put 
together  a  few  parallel  lines  with  intervening  spaces 
seems  a  very  simple  problem,  and  in  a  way  it  is;  yet 


2  Costume  Design 

a  designer  restricted  to  straight  lines  only,  has 
recourse  to  a  wide  range  of  expression  in  spacing, 
in  texture,  and  in  color,  suited  to  all  kinds  of  mate- 
rials for  wearing  apparel;  and  to  secure  lines  that 
are  finely  related  involves  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  design  as  well  as  the  ingenuity  of  the 
designer. 

Since  the  purpose  governs  the  character  of 
design,  the  first  consideration  is  always  the  use  to 
which  the  material  will  be  put.  The  design  for 
striped  wearing  apparel  will  require  a  different 
spacing  and  arrangement  of  lines  from  that  intended 
for  striped  wall  coverings  or  for  upholstery.  Silks, 
wools,  and  various  kinds  of  wash  fabrics  furnish 
ample  opportunity  for  patterns  in  modest,  incon- 
spicuous stripes,  or  in  broad,  self-asserting  stripes; 
in  quiet  and  retiring  or  in  bold  and  striking  colors; 
and  in  all  kinds  of  stripes  that  vary  in  width,  tone, 
or  color. 

The  chief  elements  in  designing  a  unit  for  striped 
materials  are  good  spacing,  repetition,  and  har- 
mony. Repeating  lines  and  spaces  of  equal  width 
across  the  surface  of  a  material  gives  repetition, 
but  not  necessarily  good  spacing.  Equal  space 


i 


|j 


joodL  Spacing  for 
Jtriped  CDatoriflb 


PLATE    I 


4.  Costume  Design 

divisions  produce  monotony  and  have  no  art  value. 
Good  spacing  demands  variety  in  the  proportions 
of  lines,  contrast  in  the  width  of  intervening  spaces, 
or  contrast  in  the  depth  or  delicacy  of  color-tones, 
and  any  combination  of  these  elements  that  will  pro- 
duce it.  Good  spacing  is  the  result  of  a  conscious 
effort  to  secure  good  proportions,  which  give  variety 
and  contrast  in  unity  and  a  sense  of  balance  without 
equal  divisions.  A  word  of  caution  is  needed  here, 
for  the  effort  to  avoid  monotony  may  be  carried 
too  far.  Too  great  a  variety  in  the  width  of  lines, 
spaces,  or  color  gives  lack  of  balance,  and  is  as 
undesirable  in  design  as  is  uniformity. 

Repeating  a  unit  adds  enrichment  and  brings 
into  existence  a  set  of  space  relations  which  some- 
times presents  an  entirely  new  phase  of  the  problem 
inspacing.  Various  modifications  in  spacingand  plac- 
ing may  be  used  to  express  or  to  avoid  an  uup  and 
down"  to  materials,  as  in  two  upper  designs,  Plate  I. 

Many  or  few  lines  may  be  employed  in  a  unit, 
but  each  line  must  have  its  own  place  in  the  har- 
mony of  the  whole.  If  a  line,  space,  or  color  asserts 
itself  to  the  detriment  of  others  the  result  will  be 
discord,  not  harmony.  A  design  of  striped  material 


Striped  Materials  5 

which  a  person  of  good  taste  would  be  willing  to 
wear  will  have  well-cut,  finely  related  spaces  which 
are  inconspicuous  and  unified. 

Examples  of  materials  showing  good  and  bad 
spacing,  while  differing  in  texture,  weave,  and 
quality,  will  suggest  to  the  teacher  methods  and 
ways  of  handling  the  different  mediums — lead 
pencil  and  pen  and  ink — in  the  making  of  designs 
by  the  students,  and  will  also  help  to  develop  in 
the  students  an  appreciation  of  what  constitutes 
good  spacing  in  striped  materials  for  wearing 
apparel. 


Costume  Design 


B.       TUCKS    AND    HEM 

The  arrangement  o  f 
tucks  and  hem  in  a  gar- 
ment is  another  prac- 
tical application  of  the 
grouping  of  parallel 
lines  to  secure  good 
spacing.  The  purpose 
of  the  garment  and  the 
quality  of  material  to  be 
used  determine  the  deli- 
cacy or  boldness  of  the 
••••^^^^^^••^^M  tucks.  The  contrast  in 
the  width  of  tucks,  and  the  relation  between  the 
width  of  the  tucks  and  the  intervening  spaces  make 
the  design  of  the  finished  garment  either  distinctive 
or  ordinary. 

The  possibility  of  attaining  beautiful  spacing  in 
the  arrangement  of  tucks  is  unlimited  and  in  a 
large  measure  untried.  Designers  of  the  best  lin- 
gerie waists  are  giving  more  attention  to  this  prob- 
lem. The  girl  who  makes  her  own  garments  has 
a  rare  opportunity  to  exercise  her  sense  of  appre- 
ciation in  well-spaced,  finely  proportioned  tucks. 


Tucks  and  Hem  7 

Equal  width  in  tucks  or  in  tucks  and  spaces 
produces  monotony.  Making  all  tucks  different  in 
size  will  be  even  more  unsatisfactory.  There  needs 
to  be  a  degree  of  symmetry  and  repetition  in  the 
width  of  spaces  and  tucks  to  produce  a  harmony  of 
the  whole.  Good  spacing  depends  upon  the  keep- 
ing in  balance  of  the  variety  and  contrasts  of  pro- 
portions of  tucks  and  spaces. 

In  developing  the  spacing  and  tucks  for  waists 
and  for  flounces  and  sleeves,  variety  may  be  secured 
by 

(a)  a  contrast  between  the  width  of  the  tucks 
and  that  of  the  intervening  spaces; 

(b)  a    contrast    of    tucks    with    each    other    in 
width    and    arrangement,    the    intervening    spaces 
being  kept  uniform  in  size,  as  in  a,  b,  and  c,  Plate  II ; 

(c)  a  contrast  of  an  entire  group  to  the  space 
between  groups,  as  in  a,  Plate  II; 

(d)  contrasts  of  individual  tucks  with  the  hem; 

(e)  a  contrast  of  the  width  of  the  space  between 
tucks  and  hem  to  all  the  other  elements  involved 
(hem,  tucks,   and  spaces  between  tucks),   none  of 
the   widths    of   which   it   repeats,    as   in    b    and    d, 
Plate  II. 


PLATE  II 


Tucks  and  Hem  Q 

To  secure  a  finer  sense  of  proportion  a  series  of 
problems  may  be  worked  out  on  drawing  paper, 
a  straight  line  indicating  the  edge  of  the  tuck  and 
a  dotted  line  the  machine  stitching,  the  best  design 
to  be  selected  and  folded  in  Japanese  paper.  This 
gives  the  dexterity  and  accuracy  in  finger  skill  so 
essential  to  good  workmanship. 


A 
CHAPTER  II 

PLAIDS 


Any  harmony  in  design 
depends  upon  the  use  of 
lines,  masses  of  light 
and  dark,  and  color. 
Personal  choice  marks 
the  design  of  a  student 
as  commonplace  or  dis- 
tinctive, for  beauty 
comes  only  when  per- 
sonal choice  results  in 
good  spacing,  good  pro- 
portions, and  harmon- 
ious color.  The  one  who  has  acquired  a  fine  sense 
of  good  spacing  will  find  'great  interest  in  producing 
new  arrangements  and  combinations  of  parallel 
lines  in  two  directions,  that  is,  in  forming  plaids. 
The  breaking  of  a  definite  area  into  equal  divisions 
with  horizontal  and  vertical  lines  results  in  monot- 
ony, and  produces  a  uniformity  undesirable  when 
repeated  over  yards  of  surface,  as  in  ordinary 

checked  materials.    The  beauty  of  a  plaid  depends 

10 


Plaids  II 

upon  the  balancing  of  unequal  spaces  which  pro- 
duces well  regulated  lines,  spaces,  and  color  values. 

Three  main  elements  are  involved  in  the  design- 
ing of  a  plaid,  the  principles  of  dominant  and 
subordinate,  repetition,  and  opposition. 

The  dominant  or  central  idea  is  the  focus  point 
which  holds  the  attention  and  to  which  all  else  is  to  be 
subordinated.  The  dominant  idea  may  come  through 
a  conjunction  of  well-placed  lines,  as  in  lower  design, 
Plate  III.  It  may  come  through  the  use  of  striking 
or  harmonious  colors  in  lines  against  a  neutral  back- 
ground ;  or  it  may  come  through  the  pronounced 
color  of  an  empty  field  with  neutral  lines  subordin- 
ated, as  in  upper  design,  Plate  III.  The  principle  of 
subordination,  which  is  inseparable  from  that  of 
the  dominant,  helps  to  bring  order  out  of  confusion, 
and  simplifies  and  concentrates  the  grouping  of 
lines  and  spaces.  The  principle  of  subordination 
through  concentration  of  lines  and  the  balancing 
of  unequal  spaces  gives  coherence  and  organization 
to  the  plaid. 

Repetition  which  involves  parallelism  gives  en- 
richment. The  regular  repetition  of  lines  and 
spaces  produces  monotony,  while  not  enough  repe- 


12  Costume  Design 

tition  leaves  a  design  empty  and  meagre.  Rhyth- 
mical repetition  is  often  produced  by  the  accenting 
of  lines  in  colors  in  one  direction  alone,  as  is  fre- 
quently seen  in  lines  running  lengthwise  in  silks. 
The  principle  of  opposition  involves  the  use  of 
lines  and  intervening  spaces  in  opposite  directions, 
producing  a  severe  contrast,  and  includes  parallel- 
ism. It  adds  a  variety,  contrast,  and  interest  in  the 
relation  of  spaces  and  lines  not  found  in  parallelism 
alone. 

Color  is  an  important  factor  in  the  designing  of 
a  plaid.  A  balance  of  color  includes  a  balance  of 
light  and  dark.  When  one  color  asserts  itself  above 
other  colors,  the  harmony  is  lost.  Color  emphasizes 
good  proportions  and  spacing,  and  as  easily  points 
out  defects. 

A  series  of  exercises  for  plaids  may  be  developed 
in  various  ways,  for  example,  by  designing  a  com- 
plete unit  or  a  section  of  a  unit,  or  by  grouping 
two  or  four  units,  thus  bringing  together  a  different 
set  of  space  relations  and  forming  a  new  unit. 
Examples  of  the  best  Scotch  plaids  and  various 
weaves  of  plaid  fabrics  are  invaluable  in  a  class- 
room. The  exercises  may  be  developed  in  any 


Cjood  designs  for  plaids 


PLATE    III 


14  Costume  Design 

medium, — in  pencil,  in  pen  and  ink,  and  in  water 
color  or  colored  crayons  on  white,  grey-toned,  or 
colored  papers.  The  method  of  handling  these 
mediums  may  suggest  the  texture  and  weave  of  the 
material  to  be  represented. 


f 


CHAPTER  III 

SUITABILITY  OF  LINE  TO  FIGURE 

The  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  design  in 
their  elementary  forms 
lead  to  the  direct  ap- 
plication of  line  to 
dress.  The  dominant 
lines  are  formed  in 
many  ways, — by  seams, 
plaits,  folds,  areas  of 
other  m  a  t  e  r  ia  1  s,  or 
trimmings.  The  lines 
of  opposition  and  of 
repetition  are  also  found.  The  dominant  lines  are 
frequently  found  to  be  horizontal  and  vertical.  It 
is  a  well  established  principle  of  art  that  wherever 
used,  horizontal  lines  emphasize  breadth  and  verti- 
cal lines  emphasize  height.  The  application  of 
this  principle  is  unfailing  in  its  results  whether 
in  painting,  architecture,  or  costume. 

The  main  or  structural  lines  of  a  dress  should 
be  studied  carefully  in  reference  to  this  principle 

15 


id  Costume  Design 

and  its  relation  to  the  size  and  shape  of  the  individ- 
ual who  is  to  wear  the  garment.  All  girls  fall  into 
three  general  classes, — the  normal,  the  stout,  and 
the  slender.  The  normal  person  will  not  be  con- 
sidered here,  since  she  is  easily  dressed.  The  stout 
person  may  be  tall  or  short,  and  the  slender  person 
may  vary  in  the  same  way  Size  is  a  more  important 
factor  than  age,  and  one  need  never  look  oversized 
or  undersized  if  the  dress  is  designed  for  the  indi- 
vidual figure. 

In  order  to  bring  necessary  traits  more  clearly 
before  a  student,  an  impersonal  study  of  the  two 
abnormal  types  is  imperative.  It  is  a  noticeable 
fact  that  a  stout  person  invariably  chooses  for  her 
ideal  way  of  dressing  the  style  most  becoming  to 
the  slender  person,  because  in  her  heart  she  longs 
to  appear  like  the  slender  person.  But  she  forgets 
her  own  figure.  Her  face  and  head  are  broad  and 
round,  and  her  neck  is  short  and  thick.  Her 
shoulders  are  square  and  broad.  She  is  full  chested, 
and  being  full  under  the  arms,  necessarily  carries 
her  arms  akimbo.  She  is  short-waisted  and  has 
large  hips.  Every  portion  of  her  person  expresses 
breadth  and  circumference.  If  in  her  ignorance 


Suitability  of  Line  to  Figure  I / 

she  uses  horizontal  lines,  she  will  appear  stouter 
than  she  really  is.  Horizontal  lines  such  as  are 
formed  by  broad  belts,  broad  shoulder  effects,  ruf- 
fles, plaited  flounces,  or  broad  trimmings  in  the 
waist  and  skirt  will  invariably  emphasize  her 
breadth.  The  line  of  the  sleeve  ending  at  the  elbow 
is  a  continuation  of  the  waist  line,  and  emphasizes 
breadth  where  least  breadth  should  be  expressed. 
A  very  tight  blouse  as  well  as  one  that  is  very  loose 
and  baggy  gives  the  appearance  of  an  added  amount 
of  flesh.  Coats  ending  at  the  hip  line  and  loose 
flaring  capes  in  plain,  plaid,  or  striped  materials 
increase  her  apparent  width.  Broad  flat  hats  trim- 
med in  pronounced  horizontal  lines  add  to  her 
breadth.  Conspicuous  stripes  and  borders,  pro- 
nounced  plaids,  bold  designs,  and  large  dots  and 
figures  widely  separated  and  strong  in  color,  increase 
size  and  attract  attention.  The  stout  person  needs 
to  use  every  line  that  will  emphasize  her  height 
and  apparently  decrease  her  breadth.  Long  lines, 
quiet  colors,  and  an  unbroken  silhouette  will  be  her 
salvation.  The  question  of  wearing  a  short  or 
long  waist  line  or  a  full  skirt  of  figured  material 
will  depend  upon  whether  the  material  is  soft  and 


l8  Costume  Design 

clinging  in  quality  and  inconspicuous  in  design  and 
color,  upon  the  direction  of  the  main  structural 
lines,  and  upon  the  silhouette  of  the  figure. 

An  analysis  of  the  slender  person  shows  her 
characteristics  to  be  exactly  opposite  to  those  of  the 
stout  person.  The  slight  woman  has  a  long,  slender 
face  and  head,  and  a  long,  thin,  and  sometimes  bony 
neck.  Her  shoulders  are  sloping  and  narrow,  and 
her  arms  are  long,  slim,  and  angular,  hanging 
straight  by  her  side.  She  is  flat-chested  and  very 
straight,  with  slight  evidence  of  hips.  She  needs 
to  emphasize  every  line  in  her  costume  that  will 
appear  to  increase  her  breadth.  She  must  avoid 
vertical  directions  in  main  or  structural  lines  and 
in  striped  materials  in  her  dress.  An  unbroken 
silhouette  increasing  her  apparent  height  is  a  detri- 
ment to  her.  Narrow,  clinging  clothes,  close-fitting 
coats,  and  small,  tall  hats  trimmed  vertically  will 
exaggerate  her  height  and  slenderness.  She  must 
learn  to  avoid  deep  yokes  which  divide  the  waist 
into  equal  parts,  lines  which  meet  in  angles  over 
the  breast  and  make  her  appear  hollow-chested, 
and  tight  sleeves  which  emphasize  sharp  elbows. 
In  every  way  she  must  avoid  severe  angular  lines 


2O  Costume  Design 

in  waist,  sleeves,  skirt,  coat,  and  hat.  Horizontal 
divisions  in  blouse,  sleeves,  and  skirt  will  broaden 
the  slender  person's  figure,  and  puffs,  flounces  and 
frills  will  increase  her  breadth  and  break  the  severe 
or  angular  contour  of  her  figure,  as  bolero  jackets, 
half-length  or  preferably  longer  coats,  and  broad, 
low  hats  with  graceful  curves  will  soften  her  lines. 
It  is  ignorance  of  the  principles  underlying  the  use 
of  horizontal  and  vertical  lines  in  dress  that  makes 
caricatures  of  the  stout  and  the  slender  person.  The 
violation  of  these  principles  will  make  the  wearer 
ludicrous  in  the  eyes  of  observers,  however  she 
may  appear  to  herself.  The  fault  lies  with  the 
wearer's  choice  and  not  with  the  dress.  Dresses 
are  designed  for  particular  types  of  figure,  and  it 
is  ignorance  alone  which  leads  the  stout  and  the 
slender  woman  to  choose  the  same  style. 

Since  the  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  study  the 
individual,  the  lay  figure  is  not  used  at  any  time. 
Instead,  a  knowledge  of  the  proportions  and  char- 
acteristics of  the  human  figure  is  necessary.  Various 
types  of  figures  can  be  found  in  class-rooms,  and 
the  lesson  may  proceed  as  in  pose  work,  through 
the  study  of  models.  The  uhead"  may  be  used  as 


Suitability  of  Line  to  Figure  21 

a  unit  of  measurement,  as,  for  example,  the  number 
of  "heads"  high,  the  number  of  "heads"  to  the  waist 
and  in  the  length  of  the  skirt,  and  the  number  of 
"heads"  through  the  shoulders,  the  waist,  and 
the  hips.  The  length  of  the  arm,  the  placing  of 
the  elbows  in  relation  to  the  waist,  and  the  perfect 
balance  of  the  figure  by  the  careful  placing  of  the 
feet  must  also  be  considered.  Simplicity  in  pose 
and  accuracy  in  measurement  will  greatly  facilitate 
the  work. 

When  students  have  gained  a  degree  of  judgment 
and  have  exhibited  increased  intelligence  in  adapt- 
ing lines  to  figures,  their  best  drawings  may  be 
chosen  and  with  slight  alterations  be  transformed 
into  stout  and  slender  figures.  A  better  judgment 
and  appreciation  of  the  correct  and  incorrect  use 
of  horizontal  and  vertical  lines  in  dresses  will  come 
through  the  students'  designing  dresses  for  these 
stout  and  slender  figures. 


CHAPTER  IV 

APRONS 

The  designing  of  an 
apron  furnishes  another 
definite  application  of 
fundamental  principles 
of  art  to  simplified 
forms.  Once  more  we 
have  a  problem  in  pro- 
portion and  fine  spac- 
ing, not  only  in  deter- 
mining the  shape  of 
the  apron,  but  in  mak- 
ing good  space  divi- 
sions in  relation  to  the  whole  and  in  securing  suit- 
ability of  line  to  the  particular  figure  which  is  to 
wear  it.  Here,  too,  a  stout  person  should  avoid 
curves  and  horizontal  lines,  while  the  slender  per- 
son must  discard  severe  vertical  divisions. 

The  purpose  of  the  apron  determines  the  choice 
of  materials  and  influences  the  character  of  the 
design.  There  are  many  kinds  of  aprons  from 
which  to  choose,  each  one  giving  a  wide  range  for 

22 


/         Aprons  23 

expression  in  well-proportioned  designs  and  excel- 
lent workmanship.  Among  the  various  kinds  only 
two  that  are  representative  need  to  be  mentioned 
here, — the  small  utility  apron  made  of  a  combina- 
tion of  natural  and  colored  linen  with  ample  pock- 
ets which  form  part  of  the  structural  design,  and 
the  fancy  apron  made  of  organdies  and  fine  lawns 
with  insertions  of  lace  or  embroidery  which  form 
the  design.  The  purpose  of  the  apron  regulates 
the  size.  The  length  of  the  apron  for  a  person  of 
normal  size  ranges  usually  from  sixteen  to  twenty- 
two  inches  and  the  width  varies  according  to  the 
contour  and  design  of  the  apron.  The  waist  line 
is  usually  fourteen  inches.  Each  type  of  apron  is 
capable  of  limitless  variations,  and  furnishes  oppor- 
tunity for  beautiful  space  divisions  and  artistic 
arrangement. 

All  plans  for  aprons  are  based  upon  three  con- 
structive lines  representing  the  horizontal  waist 
line,  a  vertical  line  expressing  the  greatest  length 
of  the  apron,  and  a  second  horizontal  line  at  the 
place  of  greatest  breadth,  as  in  A,  Plate  V.  The 
joining  of  the  ends  of  these  lines  by  means  of 
straight  or  curved  lines  gives  one  the  foundation  for 


24  Costume  Design 

all  simple  aprons  and  the  basic  form  for  more 
complex  styles,  as  indicated  in  Plate  V,  the  dotted 
lines  representing  the  construction  lines,  and  the 
continuous  lines  the  outlines  or  general  shape  of 
the  apron.  The  contour  will  vary  according  to  the 
length  of  the  second  horizontal  and  the  position 
which  it  occupies  upon  the  vertical,  and  the  nature 
and  direction  of  the  curve  or  straight  line  connect- 
ing the  extremities  of  these  two  determining  factors. 
Many  variations  in  angles  or  curves  in  the  outline 
at  the  bottom  of  the  apron  may  be  secured  by  raising 
or  lowering  and  by  extending  or  shortening  the 
second  horizontal. 

The  next  step  in  designing  an  apron  is  the  break- 
ing of  the  area  of  the  shape  into  beautiful  space 
divisions,  by  means  of  lines  representing  insertion 
or  different  materials  or  pockets,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  utility  apron.  The  possibility  of  infinite 
variation  in  arrangement  of  such  spaces  makes  it 
unnecessary  for  any  two  aprons  to  be  exactly  alike. 
When  insertion  is  used,  the  variation  may  be  secured 
by  placing  the  insertion  parallel  to  any  part  or  to 
all  of  the  outline;  by  the  use  of  insertion  to  break 
a  vertical  division  into  unequal  spaces,  as  in  a 


plans  for 
fancy  Aprons 


PLATE    V 


26  Costume  Design 

narrow  central  panel  with  broader  ones  at  each  side, 
or  in  a  broad  central  panel  with  narrow  sides;  by 
the  subdivision  of  the  outer  panels  into  unequal 
spaces,  the  line  of  insertion  being  kept  parallel  to 
the  corresponding  outline;  or  by  the  use  of  striped 
or  figured  dimities  or  organdies  as  broad  borders 
repeating  the  curved,  angular,  or  straight  shape  at 
the  bottom  of  the  apron,  and  placing  it  in  with  an 
insertion  which  adds  to  the  general  appearance  of 
the  completed  article,  as  in  Plate  V.  Insertion 
used  as  lines  of  repetition  and  opposition  add  inter- 
est and  variety  to  the  design. 

The  main  element  in  the  utility  apron  is  the 
pocket,  which  should  be  ample  enough  to  retain 
articles  and  materials  needed  in  work.  The  practise 
of  placing  pockets  upon  any  apron  independently 
of  its  design  or  purpose  often  violates  fixed  princi- 
ples of  design.  Pockets  out  of  proportion,  whether 
too  large  or  too  small,  pockets  out  of  place,  whether 
too  high  or  too  low,  or  placed  in  the  angles  at  the 
corners  of  fancy  aprons,  have  no  relation  to  the 
design  as  a  whole.  The  placing  of  pockets  is  a 
problem  in  itself.  They  must  be  considered  as  a 
distinct  element  in  the  design,  and  must  become  so 


Aprons  27 

a  part  of  the  design  as  a  whole  that  to  remove  the 
pocket  would  be  to  mar  the  appearance  of  the 
apron. 

The  same  basic  lines  that  govern  the  foundation 
shape  of  the  fancy  apron  are  used  in  the  utility 
apron.  The  utility  apron  is  capable  of  marked 
variety  in  the  modifications  of  shape,  which  comes 
through  the  use  of  one  color  of  material  upon 
another.  The  space  may  be  broken  by  the  use  of 
different  colored  materials  in  pronounced  forms  or 
in  the  use  of  pockets,  which  at  once  become  the 
dominant  feature  of  the  design,  as  in  Plate  VI. 

The  quality  of  materials,  their  economic  adapt- 
ability, and  their  aesthetic  values  require  indepen- 
dent consideration.  In  the  making  of  the  fancy 
apron  daintiness,  beauty,  and  texture  as  well  as  price 
should  govern  selection.  These  can  be  studied  from 
samples  of  lawns,  batistes,  dimities,  and  organdies 
brought  into  the  classroom.  The  batistes  and  organ- 
dies are  translucent  cloths  of  very  fine  threads  vary- 
ing in  quality,  and  can  be  found  plain  or  with  small 
figured  designs.  The  dimities  and  lawns  are  fine, 
light-weight  fabrics  which  are  starched  and  pressed 
in  the  process  of  manufacture,  and  which  when 


28  Costume  Design 

laundered  often  lose  the  original  texture  and  quality. 
The  dimities,  which  are  frequently  ribbed  and 
corded  in  one  direction,  often  split  along  the  thread 
of  the  cord,  thus  rendering  the  wearing  quality 
questionable.  The  utility  apron,  which  requires 
heavier  material,  may  be  made  of  linens  or  Russian 
crash  of  natural  color  with  plain,  solid  colors  form- 
ing the  main  element  of  the  design.  Many  beauti- 
ful colors,  such  as  dull  blues,  dull  rose,  mulberry, 
maroon,  olive  green,  old  gold,  and  russet  brown, 
may  be  secured  in  these  colors.  The  colored  linens 
may  be  used  as  pockets  alone,  as  in  2,  3,  and  4, 
Plate  VI ;  as  complete  or  partial  borders,  as  in  1 
and  2,  Plate  VI;  as  the  central  panel  connecting 
the  pockets,  as  in  5,  Plate  VI ;  or  merely  as  a  dis- 
tinct element  of  design,  as  in  6,  Plate  VI.  The 
apron  may  be  further  enriched  by  embroidering 
upon  the  colored  material  a  carefully  thought-out 
unit  in  a  simple  cross-stitch,  outline,  or  couching 
stitch,  or  in  a  darning  stitch  with  even  and  uneven 
length  alternating.  Since  it  attracts  attention,  the 
embroidery  design  should  be  dignified  and  restrain- 
ed, and  placed  near  the  center  of  the  apron  to  avoid 
calling  into  prominence  either  by  misplacing,  or  by 


Utility  Aprons 


PLATE    VI 


30  Costume  Design 

multi-colored  flosses,  the  parts  that  should  be  subor- 
dinated. 

When  the  problem  has  been  developed  after  the 
manner  indicated,  there  should  follow  the  drawing 
of  a  plan  for  an  apron  to  the  scale  of  J4"  to  1", 
and  including  the  indication  of  the  lines  of  the 
insertion,  as  in  the  small  drawings  in  Plate  V.  A 
curved  line  passing  through  a  point  two  inches 
down  from  the  waist  on  the  central  vertical  line, 
and  returning  to  the  upper  extremity  of  the  sides, 
as  in  the  plans  shown  in  Plate  V,  will  lengthen  the 
waist  line  and  make  the  apron  fit  snugly  over  the 
hips.  The  band,  which  is  cut  two  and  one-half 
inches  wide  to  make  it  one  inch  when  finished, 
should  end  either  with  the  edge  of  the  apron  or 
meet  in  the  center  of  the  back,  at  which  place  the 
ties  are  to  be  attached.  The  tie  may  vary  in  width 
and  length  according  to  one's  taste.  If  the  design 
proves  satisfactory,  a  pattern  may  be  cut  actual  size, 
inch  for  inch,  allowing  %"  for  all  seams. 


f 


CHAPTER  V 

RHYTHM  IN  LACES  AND  EMBROIDERY 

The  value  of  studying  de- 
sign and  rhythm  in  mod- 
ern machine-made  laces 
and  embroideries  is  of 
great  importance  in  rela- 
tion to  aprons  and  in  its 
broader  relation  to  cos- 
tume. Rhythm  is  meas- 
ured movement.  It  is  the 
keeping  of  time  in  art. 
Rhythm  depends  upon  the 
ease  with  which  the  move- 
ment glides  from  one  part  to  another,  each  line 
expressing  a  continuation  of  another  movement 
without  opposition. 

The  simplest  form  of  rhythm  in  laces  and 
embroideries  is  found  in  simple  scallops  of  equal 
length  and  height.  Variety  in  rhythm  is  secured 
when  the  length  of  the  movement  is  changed  by 
alternating  a  long  scallop  with  a  shorter  one.  A 
compound  rhythm  is  one  in  which  one  long  scallop 

31 


32  Costume  Design 

is  composed  of  many  smaller  ones  which  themselves 
sometimes  vary  in  length,  as  in  the  lower  example 
in  1,  Plate  VII.  Rhythm  is  also  found  in  scallops 
having  accented  terminals,  Plate  VII. 

In  all  laces  and  embroideries  which  form  borders, 
rhythm,  which  is  an  essential  element,  comes 
through  an  orderly  recurrence  of  lines,  units,  and 
movements.  Rhythm  is  sometimes  shown  by  pro- 
gression, that  is,  by  the  direction  in  which  discon- 
nected units,  dots,  or  eyelets  are  placed  upon  a 
background,  as  in  1,  Plate  VII.  More  often  rhythm 
is  found  in  one  orderly  continuous  and  undulating 
movement,  as  in  2,  Plate  VII. 

Besides  rhythm  two  other  elements  are  to  be 
considered,  that  is,  the  pattern  and  its  orderly 
construction,  and  the  contrast  of  the  pattern  with 
the  mesh  or  background.  The  pattern  should  be 
clearly  defined,  firm  in  structure,  and  simple  in 
form.  There  should  be  force,  clearness,  purity,  and 
elegance  in  the  outline  of  the  pattern.  Nothing 
vague  or  uncertain  is  desirable.  Good  designs  are 
elementary  in  form,  expressing  only  length  and 
breadth  without  any  attempt  to  express  depth, 
modeling,  or  shadow.  They  include  geometric 


PLATE   VII 


34  Costume  Design 

forms  and  such  abstract  forms  as  baskets,  emblems 
of  all  sorts,  and  the  decorative  use  of  nature  forms 
which  suggest  flowers  and  leaves  without  actually 
portraying  them,  as  in  Plate  IX.  Each  form  should 
occupy  its  own  space,  one  by  one,  not  overlapping 
another  and  thus  cutting  off  a  portion  of  a  form. 
In  laces  the  pattern  of  the  closely  woven  forms 
contrasted  with  the  intervening  spaces  of  mesh- 
work  should  give  a  sense  of  balance  of  masses  and 
spaces,  and  should  appear  in  an  orderly,  continuous 
movement  with  parts  subordinated  to  the  more 
pronounced  forms,  as  in  Plate  VII.  Richness  of 
effect  should  mark  the  design,  Plate  VIII,  not  pro- 
fusion, over-crowding,  or  poverty  of  ideas. 

Weakness  in  design  comes  through  the  introduc- 
tion of  lines  that  have  no  structural  relation  to  the 
pattern  and  through  movements  of  opposition  hav- 
ing no  rhythmical  connection  between  adjacent  units, 
as  in  3,  Plate  VII.  Vigorous  whorls,  halting, 
jerking  movement,  and  the  crossing  and  recrossing  of 
lines  give  an  impression  of  unrest.  Disquieting 
forms  twisting  and  turning  awkwardly,  badly  shaped 
forms  added  to  ill-formed  groups  and  imitating 
nature  by  modeling  rose-petals  and  leaves,  as  in 


Rhythm  in  Laces  and  Embroidery  35 

Plate  IX,  as  well  as  bow  knots  of  ribbon,  and  trel- 
lises with  trailing  vines,  all  violate  laws  of  structural 
design.  No  amount  of  elaboration  can  hide  dis- 
orderly and  misplaced  construction.  Good  design 
is  marked  by  simplicity,  pure  lines,  and  good  forms 
with  obvious  rhythmical  relation  of  parts  to  whole. 
Beautiful,  broad  surfaces,  bold,  pure  lines,  and 
clearly  defined  forms  contrasting  with  their  back- 
grounds while  lying  flat  upon  the  ground,  will 
never  weary  the  eye. 


CHAPTER  VI 

COLOR  THEORY  IN  RELATION  TO  DRESS 

Although  the  theory  of 
color  is  a  most  impor- 
tant factor  in  dress  as 
well  as  in  other  fields 
of  art,  it  is  not  well 
understood,  as  is  testi- 
fied by  the  wide  range 
of  opinion  of  various 
critics  as  to  what  con- 
stitutes good  color  in- 
struction. I  offer  no 
more  than  a  few  sug- 
gestions of  some  well  established  facts  which  I 
have  found  helpful  to  students.  In  Costume,  the 
chief  aim  of  the  study  of  color  is  to  be  concrete 
and  to  give  only  that  portion  of  the  theory  of  color 
which  enables  one  to  compare  colors  discriminately 
and  to  select  and  use  harmonious  combinations 
which  are  at  once  beautiful  and  wearable.  The 
effect  of  color  should  be  considered  rather  than 
the  science. 


Color  Theory  in  Relation  to  Dress  3*] 

The  spectrum  and  the  source  of  color  may  or 
may  not  be  discussed,  but  the  question  of  relative 
color  values  is  important.  The  one  deals  with  the 
admixture  of  lights,  the  other  with  pigments;  the 
one  with  cause,  the  other  with  effect.  The  student 
of  costume  needs  to  know  that  the  three  elements 
governing  color  are  hue,  value,  and  intensity.  Hue 
is  the  name  or  quality  by  which  we  distinguish  one 
color  from  another,  as  green,  blue-green,  red, 
orange,  or  violet.  Vahiejs  the  amount  of  light  or 
dark  in  a  color;  and  intensity  is  the  strength  or 
purity  of  a  color,  the  quality,  which  determines  a 
bright  from  a  dull  one.  The  painting  of  the  neutral 
value  scale  assists  in  developing  a  power  to  distin- 
guish the  amount  of  light  and  dark  in  colors.  The 
placing  of  the  smallest  possible  quantity  of  each 
of  the  six  fundamentals,  yellow,  orange,  red,  violet, 
blue,  and  green,  in  a  color-wheel  is  serviceable  in 
locating  hues  and  their  complementaries  at  their 
fullest  intensities.  It  is  not  necessary  for  the  student 
to  produce  either  the  color  scales  of  any  of  the 
fundamentals  or  the  many  intermediates  in  order 
to  distinguish  them,  for  the  production  of  these 
defeats  the  effort  to  create  beauty.  It  fixes  indelibly 


38  Costume  Design 

in  the  mind  of  the  student  the  ugliness,  crudity,  and 
intensity  of  pigments,  never  seen  in  nature  and  sel- 
dom in  manufactured  materials.  The  lasting  im- 
pressions of  these  crude  colors  upon  the  minds  of 
students  at  an  impressionable  age  may  account  for 
the  choice  and  display  of  crude  and  intense  color 
in  dress  in  later  years.  "A  little  learning  is  a  dan- 
gerous thing,"  and  unless  the  student  can  have  long 
and  continuous  study  in  the  science  of  color,  the 
production  of  color  scales  had  better  be  eliminated. 
Colored  papers  reproducing  fairly  accurate  hues 
and  values  of  the  fundamentals  and  a  wide  range 
of  intermediate  hues  can  be  secured  and  arranged 
in  scales  in  five  or  six  values.  Such  scales  are 
fairly  suggestive  of  the  innumerable  hues  with 
which  the  world  of  costume  has  to  deal. 

Emphasis  should  be  placed  upon  producing 
beautiful  color  harmonies,  that  is,  upon  producing 
the  dominant,  the  complementary,  the  analogous, 
and  the  contrasting.  We  are  told  that  harmony 
comes  through  "reconciling  differences  too  crude 
and  oppositions  too  startling"  into  such  relations 
as  are  agreeable  to  the  eye.  Harmony  can  be  pro- 
duced through  a  wise  selection  of  hues  of  which 


Color  Theory  in  Relation  to  Dress 

one  dominates  in  quantity,  through  a  contrast  in 
values,  and  through  carefully  related  intensities. 
A  dominant  harmony  is  composed  of  two  or 
more  values  of  one  hue.  Three  consecutive  values 
in  a  color  do  not  produce  harmony  any  more  than 
do  three  consecutive  tones  in  music.  Harmony 
will  depend  upon  a  contrast  of  values  used  in 
unequal  quantities.  A  dominant  harmony  for  dress 
may  come  through  neutralizing  one  or  more  values 
and  using  a  small  quantity  of  another  value  at  full- 
est intensity.  If  intensity  in  one  value  is  desired, 
it  may  be  increased  by  lowering  other  values,  or  by 
neutralizing  without  lowering  all  the  values.  If 
too  intense,  a  hue  may  be  reduced  by  neutralizing 
it  without  lowering  the  value,  thus  making  it  greyer 
but  not  darker.  Violent  extremes  in  values  and 
strong  intensities  may  result  in  brilliancy,  but  more 
often  result  in  crudity  and  harsh  contrasts  which  are 
as  disastrous  as  are  too  great  similarity  in  value  and 
intensity.  The  mind  must  be  kept  alert  to  values 
placed  in  juxtaposition  and  thus  to  avoid  final 
results  that  are  petty  and  uninteresting.  It  must 
be  borne  in  mind  at  all  times  that  the  study  of 
color  must  be  directly  applicable  to  costume,  and 


PLATE   VIII 


Color  Theory  in  Relation  to  Dress          41 

that  the  final  test  will  be  the  affirmative  answer  to, 
"Is  it  beautiful?     Is  it  suitable  to  wear?" 

A  complementary  harmony  is  a  harmony  of  I 
extreme  opposites  which  is  composed  of  colors  that  j 
stand  opposite  each  other  upon  the  color-wheel. 
The  production  of  any  two  complementaries  at  their 
full  intensity  will  not  produce  harmony.  Lowering 
the  value  of  one  or  neutralizing  it  and  increasing 
the  intensity  of  the  other  may  produce  harmony.  A 
small  quantity  of  pure  intensity  in  one  hue  requires 
a  large  quantity  of  its  complement  in  low  or  neu- 
tralized value.  When  carefully  mixed  in  painting, 
complementaries  neutralize  one  another,  that  is,  pro- 
duce a  neutral  tone.  When  used  in  juxtaposition, 
each  emphasizes  the  intensity  of  the  other.  By 
the  use  of  complementaries,  any  given  color  can 
be  neutralized  without  changing  the  value,  or  its 
value  may  be  changed  without  materially  changing 
its  distinctive  hue.  A  complementary  harmony 
gives  opportunity  to  balance  colors,  e.  g.,  warm 
and  cool  colors,  or  neutral  values  and  intensities, 
or  high  and  low  values,  or  two  values  equally 
removed  from  intensity,  or  values  near  middle,  with 
or  without  neutralizing  one  or  both  hues.  The 


4.2  Costume  Design 

charm  in  this  harmony  is  due  to  the  brilliancy  and 
richness  which  come  through  the  reconciliation  of 
differences,  that  is,  the  widest  range  of  contrasts 
brought  into  subdued,  glowing  harmony. 

Analogous  harmonies  are  based  on  a  contrast  of 
values  of  neighboring  hues,  that  is,  hues  that  are 
found  in  close  juxtaposition,  in  which  one  color 
plays  through  adjoining  hues,  as,  for  example,  green 
running  through  GYG,  G,  GBG,  BG,  BBG,  or 
orange  running  through  RRO,  RO,  ORO,  O, 
OYO,  YO,  YYO.  Neither  the  combination  of 
three  consecutive  values  nor  the  same  value  in  three 
adjoining  hues  will  produce  agreeable  harmony. 
Analogous  harmony  depends  upon  the  contrast  of 
hues  in  different  values.  It  requires  thoughtful 
discrimination  in  the  selection  of  hues,  the  effect 
of  contrasted  values,  and  the  degree  to  which  they 
are  neutralized.  A  large  variety  of  hues  in  colored 
papers  will  be  useful  in  increasing  knowledge  of 
the  variety  of  hues  and  in  stimulating  the  imagina- 
tion to  invent  distinctive  combinations.  The  deep- 
toned  relationship  of  values  in  rich  colors  makes 
this  harmony  the  most  subtle  and  most  beautiful 
of  all  the  color  harmonies. 


Color  Theory  in  Relation  to  Dress  43 

Contrasting  harmonies  include  all  harmonies 
found  in  the  range  of  hues  lying  between  comple- 
mentary and  analogous  in  the  color  wheel.  In  this 
harmony  is  found  the  widest  range  of  color  com- 
binations from  the  most  delicate  to  the  richest, 
from  the  most  sparkling  and  brilliant  to  the  deepest 
or  dullest,  from  the  most  ordinary  to  the  most  dis- 
tinguished. The  different  ways  of  producing 
harmony  previously  mentioned  may  be  applied 
here.  The  mind  must  be  kept  alert  by  the  study 
of  the  relation  of  value  to  intensity.  A  combination 
lacking  in  harmony  may  be  corrected  by  changing 
the  hue,  or  removing  the  intensity  without  lowering 
the  value  of  the  hue,  or  neutralizing  the  value  with- 
out changing  the  brightness.  The  study  of  the 
combination  of  adjacent  bright  colors  in  an  oriental 
rug  or  Japanese  textile  or  print  shows  how  the 
skill  of  the  worker  and  his  knowledge  of  color  har- 
mony enable  him  to  combine  daring  and  startling 
contrasts,  such  as  turquoise  blue,  orange,  rose,  red, 
indigo,  green,  and  black,  in  quiet,  peaceful  harmony. 
Colors  which  are  rich  and  daring  when  seen  sepa- 
rately may  be  brought  together  in  such  a  way  as 
to  enrich  and  enhance  or  subdue  each  other.  A 


44  Costume  Design 

color  sense  can  not  be  imparted  or  passed  on  from 
one  person  to  another.  Neither  can  it  come  through 
description  or  formulas.  It  can  be  gained  only 
through  discreet  observation  and  practise,  the  basing 
of  one  experience  upon  another,  and  a  never-ending 
effort  to  possess  better  comprehension  and  appre- 
ciation of  great  beauty  and  enrichment. 


CHAPTER  VII 

COLOR  AND  COMPLEXION 

In  costume  the  beauty 
of  a  color  should  not 
be  considered  alone, 
but  in  relation  to  the 
effect  it  has  upon  the 
complexion  of  the  per- 
son who  is  to  wear  it. 
The  instinctive  craving 
for  color  is  natural  and 
should  be  gratified,  but 
not  at  the  sacrifice  of 
harmonious  appear- 
ance. There  is  no  complexion,  however  attractive 
or  commonplace  and  uninteresting,  but  may  be 
improved  by  a  selection  of  the  color  best  suited  to 
the  particular  complexion. 

Individuals  fall  into  two  general  types,  blonde 
and  brunette.  Some  of  the  most  familiar  types 
of  blondes  are  the  pink  and  white  blonde  with 
delicate,  transparent  skin  and  flushed  cheeks;  the 
red  and  cream  blonde  with  more  vivid  coloring; 

45 


46  Costume  Design 

the  colorless  blonde  whose  hair,  complexion,  and 
eyes  are  monotonously  alike ;  the  sallow  blonde  with 
sallow  complexion  in  conjunction  with  medium  dull 
brown,  lusterless  hair;  and  the  Titian  or  the  red- 
haired  blonde  with  remarkably  clear  complexion 
accompanied  by  beautiful  reddish-copper  hair. 
The  combination  of  the  complexion  with  the 
various  hues  of  hair,  and  the  color  in  the  eyes  which 
range  from  china  blue  to  deep  violet  blue  and 
from  grey  blue  to  grey  green  and  hazel  brown  are 
what  make  a  person  distinctive  and  interesting. 
Brunettes  are  distinguished  in  a  similar  manner. 
There  is  the  genuine  brunette  with  dark  skin,  hair, 
and  eyes,  and  flushed  cheeks;  the  fair  brunette  with 
cream  and  scarlet  complexion,  and  blue  or  brown 
eyes  with  dark  brown  hair;  the  sallow  brunette  with 
black  hair  and  eyes  and  a  sallow  skin;  the  "nut- 
brown  maid"  with  nut-brown  skin  and  hazel  eyes, 
and  with  cheeks  flushed  like  dull  rose;  and  the 
olive  brunette  with  brown  skin  tinged  with  clear 
olive  green,  flushed  cheeks,  and  mellow,  warm 
brown  eyes.  There  are,  of  course,  many  interme- 
diate types  of  blondes  and  brunettes. 

The    wide    difference    in    the    complexions    of 


/ '  I 

Color  and  Complexions  47 

blondes  and  brunettes  makes  it  impossible  for  them 
to  wear  the  same  hues.  Each  season  brings  cer- 
tain popular  colors,  and  blondes  and  brunettes  alike 
rush  for  them  regardless  of  the  effect  these  colors 
have  upon  their  complexion.  Color  has  the  same 
effect  upon  complexion  that  certain  chemicals  do 
upon  water.  For  example,  certain  hues  of  red  will 
bring  out  the  yellow  in  the  face  of  one  blonde, 
while  in  the  faces  of  others  it  emphasizes  green  or 
perhaps  purple,  or  makes  one  ashen,  the  color  of 
the  eye  fading  and  the  hair  becoming  dusty  and 
lusterless.  Because  of  the  marked  difference  in 
types  and  because  color  affects  each  individual 
differently,  no  set  rule  can  be  given  for  the  choice 
of  harmonious  colors.  The  right  choice  of  color 
is  largely  a  matter  of  individual  study. 

No  more  convincing  argument  can  be  made  for 
the  proper  choice  of  color  than  the  actual  applica- 
tion of  dress  materials  of  many  different  colors  to 
the  different  types  of  complexion.  Choose  a  group 
of  four  or  five  girls  representing  as  marked  types 
as  possible.  Try  upon  each  of  them  in  succession, 
in  the  presence  of  the  class,  dress  materials  of 
various  hues  and  values  of  red,  blue,  yellow,  green, 


48  Costume  Design 

brown,  and  violet.  The  same  color  upon  different 
types  will  emphasize  or  change  the  color  of  eyes, 
hair,  and  complexion. 

Anyone  with  a  complexion  verging  toward  yel- 
low or  with  pronounced  yellow  or  sallow  skin  should 
avoid  white  and  black,  both  of  which  bring  out 
yellow  in  the  face.  Most  pale  colors  or  colors  of 
middle  value  and  strong  intensity,  such  as  coral  or 
turquoise,  blues,  and  heliotrope,  emphasize  yellow. 
Rich  cream  or  buff  counteracts  yellow  in  the  face. 
The  sallowness  of  a  complexion  verging  toward 
green  can  be  counteracted  by  the  use  of  grey-green 
in  materials.  Certain  hues  of  green  have  a  tendency 
to  bring  out  pink  in  a  face  where  a  flush  is  lacking. 
It  is  popularly  believed  that  pale  people  should 
wear  strong  colors  to  impart  color  to  the  face. 
Strong  colors  exaggerate  pallor  and  sallowness,  and 
leave  the  hair  lusterless  and  dead.  Blondes  appear 
best  in  modified  colors.  Only  the  fairest  brunette 
can  wear  anything  approaching  pure  hues.  Many 
make  the  mistake  of  choosing  dress  materials 
according  to  the  intensity  of  hue  instead  of  the 
value.  It  is  in  the  realm  of  values  neutralized  or 
lowered  that  the  most  successful  dresses  are  found. 


Color  and  Complexions  49 

The  countless  variety  of  hues  neutralized  in  inten- 
sity and  raised  in  value,  such  as  russets,  citrines, 
greyed  orange,  and  dull  peach,  which  bring  color 
to  lips  and  cheeks  and  hair,  makes  it  possible  for 
the  colorless  or  sallow  person  to  dress  in  taste 
and  harmony. 

It  has  been  erroneously  said  that  the  red-haired 
blonde  must  never  wear  blue.  Several  centuries 
ago  Titian  found  that  certain  hues  of  red  hair  com- 
bined with  dull  peacock  blue-green  produced  a 
wonderful  harmony.  The  eyes  of  the  Titian  blonde 
vary  from  clear  blue,  deep  blue,  grey  blue,  or  green 
blue  (never  violet-blue)  to  golden  brown.  The 
color  of  the  eyes  should  determine  to  what  degree 
the  blue  or  the  green  should  dominate  the  mate- 
rial. Golden  browns  which  reflect  the  same  golden 
hue  of  hair  are  safe  colors  though  not  so  distinctive 
as  faded  heliotrope,  deep  apricot,  dull  apple  green, 
or  dull  sage,  as  in  Plate  XII.  The  red-haired 
blonde  must  always  avoid  all  hues  of  red,  black, 
milk-white,  yellow-brown,  or  yellow-green,  all  pure 
colors. 

The  brunette  with  dark  hair  and  skin  and  flushed 
cheeks  may  wear  stronger  color,  but  the  clearer 


PLATE   IX 


Color  and  Complexions  $1 

type  will  require  different  colors  from  the  sallow. 
The  brunette  who  rejoices  in  a  good  complexion 
may  wear  almost  any  color,  except  the  so-called 
pastel  shades  or  any  greatly  modified  color.  Warm 
colors,  such  as  deep  yellow,  sunset  yellow,  orange 
yellow,  orange  red,  cardinal,  claret,  maroon,  Indian 
red,  flamingo,  and  deep  poppy-red  are  sometimes 
better  for  brunettes  than  cool  colors.  Exuberant 
red  in  the  face  can  be  counteracted  by  the  use  of 
a  similar  red  in  material.  The  danger  lies  in  not 
choosing  the  right  hue  of  red,  for  there  are  thou- 
sands of  hues  of  reds,  varying  in  kind,  quality,  and 
degree.  The  "nut-brown  maid"  may  be  very  beau- 
tiful or  very  ugly  according  to  her  choice  of  colors. 
Requiring  combinations  entirely  her  own,  she  can 
wear  colors  suited  to  few  other  types,  as,  for  exam- 
ple, dull  amber,  faded  golden  brown,  nut  browns 
verging  toward  dull  orange,  faded  apricot,  peach 
blow,  dull  russets,  and  citrines,  the  colors  found  in 
wind-blown  autumn  leaves.  The  olive  brunette  may 
be  beautiful  in  such  colors  as  cafe-au-lait,  amber, 
maize,  dull  orange,  a  deep  and  rich  dull  rose,  and 
chestnut  brown.  The  use  of  greens,  violets,  or  blues 
will  emphasize  the  olive  green  in  her  complexion. 


$2  Costume  Design 

The  no-type-in-particular  girl,  who  knows  her  own 
peculiarities  and  chooses  with  care  and  discrimina- 
tion only  those  hues  which  bring  color  to  her  face 
and  glow  and  interest  to  her  hair,  is  no  less  attractive 
in  becoming,  harmonious  colors  than  are  the  others. 
There  is  no  complexion,  whether  it  be  beautiful  in 
the  extreme  or  thoroughly  commonplace  and  unin- 
teresting, that  does  not  require  a  comprehension  of 
its  good  qualities  and  the  exercise  of  good  judg- 
ment in  the  selection  of  colors  to  make  the  beautiful 
more  beautiful,  and  the  homely  more  tolerable. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SELF-CRITICISM 

One  of  the  main  pur- 
poses of  this  course  is 
to  show  that  each  girl 
is  a  distinct  problem  in 
herself.  Because  it  is 
her  own  figure  she  is  to 
dress  and  not  a  lay  fig- 
ure, she  must  study  the 
main  structural  lines  in 
reference  to  her  own 
size  and  shape,  and  the 
color  suited  to  her  own 
complexion.  I  do  not  ask  that  girls  spend  more 
time  in  the  study  of  dress  in  general,  but  that  they 
spend  the  time  ordinarily  given  to  the  subject  in  a 
systematic,  critical  study  of  self.  The  danger  lies 
not  in  too  close  a  study,  but  in  an  undirected  or 
misdirected  study  of  self  which  results  in  false 
standards  of  beauty,  color,  and  cost. 

Every  girl  needs  to  study  herself  carefully  and 
analytically  in  a  full-length  mirror,  searching  for 

53 


54  Costume  Design 

good  points  as  well  as  for  defects.  The  average 
person  is  self-conscious  and  sensitively  morbid 
regarding  her  defects,  and  rarely  dwells  upon  her 
good  features  and  qualities.  Vain  people  are  few 
in  comparison  to  those  who  depreciate  self.  A 
young  girl  is  usually  either  painfully  conscious 
of  every  defect  or  entirely  oblivious  of  any  qual- 
ity, good  or  bad,  save  what  she  sees  in  her  friends 
and  believes  she  reflects  in  herself.  The  need  today 
is  to  have  a  well-balanced,  sane  comprehension  of 
one's  own  figure,  its  defects  and  its  good  points, 
with  the  knowledge  of  how  to  correct  the  one  and 
emphasize  the  other.  Let  each  girl  study  critically 
the  form  and  character  of  her  head,  and  the  size, 
shape,  and  outline  of  her  face  and  its  proportions  to 
the  head  and  to  the  figure.  Let  her  study  ana- 
lytically the  particular  color  of  her  complexion; 
the  amount  of  yellow,  cream,  brown,  or  pink  in  it, 
the  amount  of  rose,  purple-red,  or  red  in  her  cheeks 
and  lips,  or  its  absence;  the  kind  and  quality  of  the 
color  of  her  eyes,  and  the  play  of  color  in  the 
light  and  shadow  of  her  hair.  Let  her  discover 
the  height,  breadth,  and  contour  of  her  figure,  and 
analyze  the  length,  slope,  and  angle  of  her  shoul- 


Self-Criticism  55 

ders  and  arms.  Are  they  narrow  or  broad,  sloping 
or  square,  angular  or  full  of  graceful  curves?  Are 
the  chest  and  hips  prominent  and  well-modeled  or 
lacking  in  contour?  Is  the  waist  long  or  short  for 
the  height  of  the  figure?  Let  her  acquaint  herself 
with  her  own  peculiarities  and  characteristics,  which 
are  apparent  to  the  observer.  Let  her  study  herself 
in  the  same  impersonal  manner  and  spirit  in  which 
she  studies  another  person  or  a  foreign  object  that 
she  intends  to  draw.  This  will  decrease  rather  than 
increase  vanity,  and  will  bring  her  to  realize  that 
her  individuality,  whether  ordinary  or  attractive, 
must  be  studied  carefully  if  she  is  to  choose  with 
discrimination,  lines  suited  to  her  figure  and  color 
suited  to  her  complexion. 

Because  she  needs  to  fix  more  firmly  in  her  mind 
her  own  distinctive  features  and  because  she  has 
further  use  for  the  drawings,  the  student  should 
make  careful  and  accurate  drawings  of  herself,  both 
front  and  back  views.  She  should  recall  the  former 
lesson  in  drawing  the  different  types  of  figures  and 
apply  this  knowledge  to  the  drawing  of  self. 
Through  actual  measurement  the  normal  sized  per- 
son in  normal  proportions  and  action  will  be  found 


Costume  Design 

to  be  from  seven  to  eight  heads  high.  The  usual 
fashion-plate  figure  with  its  exaggerated  propor- 
tions is  not  infrequently  fourteen  heads  high.  Since 
very  few  persons  have  a  fashion-plate  figure  to 
dress,  the  student  will  presently  come  to  see  that  her 
costume  will  not  resemble  the  pictured  pattern,  but 
will  be  something  much  more  satisfying  from  every 
point  of  view. 


CHAPTER  IX 

STRUCTURAL  LINES  IN  WAISTS 

Design  in  relation  to  a 
waist  pertains  to  the  or- 
derly arrangement  of 
parts  in  their  relation  to 
the  whole.  Students 
learn  by  experimenting 
and  doing.  To  acquire 
the  ability  to  appreciate 
and  arrange  lines  and 
forms  harmoniously  in  a 
waist  is  to  understand  in 
a  degree  the  principles 
of  order,  rhythm,  and  balance. 

The  first  thing  to  consider  in  choosing  a  waist  is 
the  style.  Under  the  guidance  of  a  teacher  the  stu- 
dent learns  to  study  a  fashion  book  in  a  systematic 
way,  gaining  a  power  to  choose  and  use  the  best 
of  any  prevailing  style  and  the  ability  to  modify 
or  elaborate  the  design.  Something  of  the  follow- 
ing order  will  help  any  student  to  become  the 

57 


5<?  Costume  Design 

master  rather  than  the  slave  of  fashions.  What 
main  lines  were  prevalent  last  season?  What  are 
the  radical  changes  this  year?  What  modification 
of  old  ideas  are  to  be  found?  In  what  parts  of 
the  waist  are  the  greatest  changes  manifest?  What 
are  some  of  the  art  principles  underlying  the  de- 
signing of  a  waist?  To  what  degree  do  new  styles 
obey  art  principles?  If  they  do  not  conform  to 
such  principles,  how  can  they  be  modified  to  obey 
them?  A  correct  answer  to  these  questions  will 
place  one  well  on  the  way  to  the  construction  of 
design  for  a  waist. 

The  purpose  of  the  waist  governs  the  choice  of  the 
design  and  the  material.  The  materials  for  the 
waist  should  be  considered  in  relation  to  the  color 
and  quality  of  the  skirt  with  which  it  is  to  be  worn. 
No  matter  how  elaborate  the  trimming  or  how  fine 
the  material,  the  fact  remains  that  the  waist  and 
skirt  are  two  separate  garments  and  can  never 
appear  as  one  complete  whole.  Daintiness  should 
mark  the  quality  of  materials  for  lingerie  waists, 
\while  waists  for  general  service  may  be  of  heavier 
materials.  The  master  of  costume  planning  will 
be  alert  to  each  season's  new  materials  and  pre- 


Structural  Lines  in  Waists  59 

vailing  styles,  and  alive  to  the  possibilities  of  beau- 
tiful combinations  that  the  new  materials  offer. 

The  principles  which  govern  the  designing  of  a 
waist  are  the  same  principles  used  in  previous 
lessons.  They  comprise  all  the  elements  of  good 
spacing,  that  is,  the  dominant  or  central  idea,  that 
which  attracts  and  holds  the  attention  and  around 
which  all  else  is  subordinated;  the  proportions 
which  secure  the  balance  of  unequal  spaces;  and 
the  enrichment  which  comes  through  the  applica- 
tion of  the  principles  of  repetition  and  opposition. 

The  outline  of  the  drawing  of  self  becomes  the 
boundary  of  a  surface  that  is  to  be  broken  into 
pleasing  space  relations,  thus  forming  the  design. 
This  outline  is  to  be  divided  into  four  big  space 
relations — the  front  or  back,  the  sleeves,  the  collar, 
and  the  girdle — and  the  harmony  of  the  design  will 
once  more  depend  upon  the  relation  of  the  parts  to 
the  whole.  Within  this  outline  the  student  learns 
first  what  constitutes  the  main  structural  lines, 
where  to  place  the  line  representing  the  center  of 
the  figure  as  it  curves  over  the  chest,  how  to  balance 
the  foreshortened  side  of  the  figure  with  the  nearer 
side,  and  how  to  indicate  the  waist  line,  which 


6o  Costume  Design 

curves  slightly  downward  in  the  front  and  upward 
in  the  back  view. 

The  line  of  the  arm  eye  more  than  any  other 
line  in  the  waist,  gives  the  keynote  to  the  char- 
acter and  style  of  the  waist.  There  are  waists  with 
normal  arm  eye  and  shoulder  seams,  and  others  with 
very  large  arm  eye  coming  well  down  on  the  under- 
arm seam.  There  are  waists  with  the  drop  sleeve 
with  or  without  shoulder  seam;  waists  without  any 
arm  eye  or  shoulder  seam,  as  in  the  kimono  pat- 
tern; and  waists  with  raglan  sleeves,  the  lines  of 
the  sleeve  cutting  across  the  shoulder  and  ending  at 
the  neck.  Whatever  its  position,  the  arm  eye  deter- 
mines the  style  of  the  waist. 

The  portion  of  a  waist  which  is  formed  by  one 
dominant  shape  or  mass  becomes  the  center  of  inter- 
est, and  must  be  considered  in  relation  to  the  sub- 
ordinated forms.  The  subordination  may  come 
through  the  repetition  of  the  direction  of  a  line  or 
the  shape  of  a  surface  repeated  in  a  less  pronounced 
way,  and  also  by  the  right  use  of  opposing  shapes  or 
lines.  The  chief  elements  used  to  compose  the  domi- 
nant surface  are  the  placing  of  the  waist  opening,  the 
use  of  the  yoke,  and  the  disposition  of  the  trimmings. 


Structural  Lines  in  Waists  6 1 

The  direction  of  the  opening  down  the  front, 
whether  it  be  straight,  angular,  or  curved,  often 
influences  the  shape  of  the  surface.  The  grouping 
of  tucks,  folds,  frills,  or  trimmings  with  their 
variety  of  spacing,  proportion,  balance,  and  repeti- 
tion furnishes  endless  possibilities  for  the  center  of 
interest.  Yokes  which  vary  in  length,  shape,  direc- 
tion, and  character  are  of  primary  importance 
whenever  used.  The  success  will  depend  upon  the 
fine  balance  of  proportions,  and  upon  the  order  and 
concentration  which  come  through  subordination 
in  arranging  the  parts  into  unified  dominant  form, 
beautiful  in  shape  and  enriched  by  harmonious 
repetition. 

Many  violations  of  principles  are  found  in 
fashion-plate  designs  of  waists.  It  is  well  to  recall 
what  has  been  said  in  the  chapter  on  Suitability 
of  Line  to  the  Figure.  It  is  individual  choice 
which  makes  one  appear  deformed  and  ridiculous 
or  well-dressed.  A  person  with  sloping  shoulders 
and  narrow  chest  who  chooses  for  the  main  lines, 
lines  meeting  in  angles  over  the  chest,  as  in  1,  Plate 
X,  or  lines  of  shoulder  or  of  sleeves  leading  to  the 
neck,  as  in  4,  Plate  X,  will  exaggerate  the  hollow- 


62  Costume  Design 

chested  and  narrow-shouldered  appearance  where 
maximum  breadth  should  be  secured.  Lines  which 
break  the  space  into  many  sections  form  ugly  shapes, 
as  in  2,  Plate  X.  The  emphasizing  of  the  breadth 
of  the  waist  by  lines  leading  from  the  center  of  the 
neck  and  spreading  at  the  waist,  as  in  3,  Plate  X,  or 
the  division  of  a  waist  into  two  equal  horizontal 
divisions  by  either  yoke  or  trimming,  as  in  5,  Plate 
X,  is  a  mistake  on  any  type  of  person. 

There  are  endless  possibilities  in  designing  any 
waist,  by  varying  the  length  of  the  shoulder  and 
the  direction  and  shape  of  its  outline;  by  the  various 
ways  of  arranging  and  placing  groups  of  tucks, 
laces,  frills,  vest,  and  folds  into  pleasing  space 
dimensions  in  the  front  of  the  waist;  by  the  sub- 
ordinate repetition  of  these  elements  to  enrich  and 
enhance  the  appearance;  and  by  the  character  and 
style  of  the  collar  and  its  corresponding  likeness  in 
cuffs  and  sleeves.  The  designs  will  vary  according 
to  each  individual  choice,  for  the  waist  offers  ample 
opportunity  for  creative  imagination  and  inventive 
power. 


Violations  op 
Principles 


PLATE    X 


CHAPTER  X 


Appropriateness 

Costly  ihy  habit  as  thy  purse  can.  buy, 
Butndt  expressd  in-^ncy;rii:h_tTidt  gaudy; 
Jpbr  the  apparel  op:  proclaims  the 


Perhaps  the  most  needful 
work  to  be  done  in  Costume 
is  to  kindle  in  all  minds 
a  sentiment  for  appropriate 
dress  which  fits  not  only  the 
purpose,  but  the  purse  as  well. 
There  is  always  danger  that 
fashion  will  become  the  mo- 
tive power  of  life.  The  solu- 
tion of  the  difficulty  will 
come  when  women  hold  the 
ethical,  the  economic,  and  the  aesthetic  phases  of 
dress  in  normal  balance. 

The  desire  to  manifest  beauty  is  legitimate,  for 
it  is  God-given.  It  follows,  then,  that  beauty,  come- 
liness, and  grace  should  be  striven  for  as  one  strives 

64 


Appropriateness  65 

for  honesty,  truth,  and  sincerity.  Beauty  in  dress 
is  the  result  of  an  unerring  sense  of  proportion, 
whether  that  relates  to  size  and  shape,  or  pertains 
to  fitness  and  cost. 

Love  of  adornment  has  always  been  the  motive 
power  of  dress.  It  manifests  itself  in  one  of  two 
ways,  either  through  a  sensational  desire  for  em- 
bellishment which  leads  to  ostentation  and  pomp, 
or  through  a  desire  for  association  with  and  appre- 
ciation of  the  real  qualities  of  beauty  which  leads 
to  an  enduring  satisfaction.  Lack  of  understand- 
ing and  appreciation  of  what  constitutes  beauty  is 
responsible  for  the  immense  annual  waste  of  skill 
and  money  in  the  production  of  audacious,  capri- 
cious, eccentric,  and  seductive  modes. 

Many  contributing  causes  promote  false  stand- 
ards of  taste  and  appropriateness:  The  remarkable 
facility  manufacturers  possess  for  reproducing  in 
rapid  succession  new  fashion  movements,  the  meth- 
ods of  keeping  in  touch  with  fashion  centers  through 
various  publications,  the  gorgeous  and  startling  dis- 
plays in  shop-windows  and  at  theatres,  all  tend  to 
dazzle  the  ignorant  girl  and  evoke  in  her  a-  desire 
to  possess  wealth  because  of  the  possibilities  it 


66  Costume  Design 

offers.  She  is  confounded  by  the  excess  of  orna- 
ments, the  pretentiousness  and  theatricality  in  de- 
sign, color,  and  pattern.  She  mistakes  the  extrava- 
gant in  style  for  dignity,  the  loud  and  dowdy  for 
the  rich,  and  the  costly  for  the  beautiful,  and  so  is 
led  to  purchase  some  gown  which  attracts  the  at- 
tention at  once,  pleases  for  the  moment,  and  creates 
a  desire  previously  unfelt.  This  extravagance  in 
style  and  cost  establishes  a  false  standard  of  dress 
which  may  exceed  the  purse  of  any  parent.  It 
fosters  a  love  for  the  gaudy  and  conspicuous  which 
often  leads  to  the  destruction  of  moral  standards. 
When  extravagance  is  the  standard  of  dress,  beauty 
is  apt  to  be  sacrificed.  It  is  a  lack  of  well-established 
principles  and  of  the  ability  to  choose  wisely  that 
brings  ultimate  dissatisfaction,  unrest,  and  irresist- 
ible desire  for  change. 

Insufficient  thought  is  given  to  the  suitability  of 
the  style  and  material  of  a  garment  to  its  use  and 
purpose.  To  be  sure,  no  definite  standard  for  the 
use  of  materials  in  relation  to  time,  place,  or  occa- 
sion has  been  set  up.  In  America  women  are  freest 
from  tradition,  conventionality,  and  class  distinction, 
but  for  all  their  opportunities  many  fail  to  unite 


Appropriateness  6j 

principles  of  beauty  and  appropriateness.  A  woman 
may  go  so  far  as  to  wear  a  velvet  gown,  picture  hat, 
and  party  coat  to  market,  or  a  discarded  reception 
dress  to  go  shopping.  Such  an  exhibition  of  mis- 
placed elegance  is  a  manifestation  of  ignorance  of 
beauty  and  appropriateness. 

Another  form  of  inappropriate  dressing  arises 
from  imitation,  which  is  found  everywhere  and  in 
all  classes  of  society.  Growing  out  of  a  desire 
to  appear  to  be  what  one  knows  only  too  well  that 
she  is  not,  imitation  is  lacking  in  both  sincerity  and 
truth.  Women  are  guilty  of  it  when  they  sacrifice 
quality  of  material  to  the  style  seen  in  cheap  and 
inferior  suits,  cheap  jewelry,  and  other  cheap  wear- 
ing apparel.  A  woman  manifests  a  degree  of  native 
coarseness  when  she  wears  a  cheap  reproduction  of 
beautiful  animal  forms,  as  for  example,  a  wreath 
of  birds  on  her  hat,  tiger  skin  furs  with  dangling 
heads,  and  an  alligator  purse  with  realistic  claws. 
/  An  honest,  frank  use  of  plain,  inexpensive  material 
worth  the  price  paid  for  it  reflects  more  credit  on 
the  wearer  and  the  community  in  which  she  lives 
than  all  the  showy  finery  and  shoddy  jewelry  that 
she  can  wear.^  An  offensive  form  of  imitation  is  the 


68  Costume  Design 

attempt  of  the  home-dressmaker  to  copy  with  in- 
ferior line,  color,  and  materials  an  elaborate  gown 
designed  by  an  expert  dressmaker.  Lack  of  appre- 
ciation of  the  way  lines  are  formed,  lack  of  skill  in 
draping  and  manipulating  materials,  lack  of  knowl- 
edge of  laws  of  design  and  color  to  which  the  ex- 
pert is  obedient,  all  are  factors  in  the  failure  of  the 
unskilled  workman  to  copy  the  production  of  one 
who  has  made  a  life  study  of  design  in  dress.  It 
is  impossible  for  all  to  produce  work  of  equal  merit, 
but  we  can  at  least  bring  to  our  task  some  measure 
of  understanding  and  appreciation  which  will  be 
the  outgrowth  of  sincerity.  Work  never  rises  above 
the  ideal  of  the  worker.  A  high  ideal  makes  im- 
perative the  rejection  of  every  kind  of  inappropriate 
dressing  as  well  as  the  legitimate  search  for  and  use 
of  materials  suited  to  the  occasion  and  in  keeping 
with  one's  position  in  life. 

Psychologists  tell  us  that  there  are  two  periods 
in  the  lives  of  girls  when  their  interest  in  dress  is 
greatest — from  eight  to  ten  and  from  fourteen  to 
seventeen.  At  these  periods  most  girls  form  their 
standards  of  dress.  It  is  essential,  then,  that  they  be 
given  proper  direction  and  that  there  be  instilled 


Appropriateness  69 

in  their  minds  the  fundamental  facts  of  appropriate 
dressing,  namely,  that,  in  order  to  dress  well  it  is 
necessary  to  dress  inconspicuously;  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  ideals  higher  than  the  mere  dictates 
of  evanescent  fashions;  and  that  beauty  is  based  on 
principle,  is  governed  by  principle,  and  is  the  result 
of  principle.  Girls  so  taught  will  easily  see  that 
it  is  possible  to  express  beauty  and  good  taste 
whether  the  pocket-book  be  very  full  or  nearly 
empty.  Girls  should  learn  that  simplicity  is  not 
plainness,  stupidity,  nor  poverty,  but  the  very  foun- 
dation of  beauty  and  refinement.  It  is  not  money 
but  mind  which  produces  good  taste.  \  Intelligent 
selection  and  discriminating  choice  are  the  expres- 
sions of  qualities  of  the  mind.\  Without  these  quali- 
ties no  amount  of  money  will  make  a  dress  beauti- 
ful. A  girl  should  create  for  herself  a  standard 
which  is  distinctive  and  characteristic.  When  she 
has  done  this,  the  girl  of  fine  taste  will  avoid  all 
ludicrous  expression  because  her  choice  is  based 
upon  her  silent  obedience  to  art  principles. 


JO  Costume  Design 

ACCESSORIES 

No  matter  how  well  a  dress  is  chosen  and  de- 
signed, unless  the  accessories  are  in  keeping  with 
it,  it  will  not  be  complete  and  harmonious. 

Girls  need  to  know  that  the  style  of  dressing  the 
hair  out  of  relation  to  the  size  and  shape  of  the 
head  is  another  example  of  the  bad  taste  of  the 
wearer.  Not  only  the  bad  lines  and  proportions, 
but  the  use  of  colored  hair  ribbons  that  do  not  har- 
monize with  the  color  of  the  hair  shows  ignorance 
of  the  basic  principles  of  art.  The  types  of  faces 
and  heads  are  as  varied  as  those  of  the  human 
figure.  Each  type  of  face — the  oval,  the  round,  the 
oblong,  the  hatchet,  and  the  square — has  its  own 
peculiar  characteristics.  Two  features,  the  nose  and 
the  chin,  give  prominence  or  flatness  to  the  silhou- 
ette of  the  head.  The  nose  may  be  pug,  pointed, 
flat,  broad  and  round,  small,  hooked,  or  Roman, 
while  the  chin  may  be  protruding,  retiring,  square, 
oval,  pointed,  or  broad.  The  pointed  nose  and 
angular  face  will  appear  more  angular  if  the  hair 
is  dressed  in  pronounced  angles,  instead  of  being 
arranged  loosely  and  yet  close  to  the  head.  The 
round,  plump  face  requires  that  the  hair  be  built 


Appropriateness  JI 

high,  and  not  low  and  broad  along  the  neck.  The 
girl  with  the  long,  thin  face  should  not  arrange  her 
hair  high  on  her  head  nor  low  with  drooping  lines, 
for  both  arrangements  tend  to  make  the  long  face 
look  longer.  The  manner  of  dressing  the  hair  so 
as  to  cover  important  features  of  the  face,  as  well 
as  the  use  of  "headache"  bands  of  ribbon,  tends  to 
caricature  ugly  features.  In  every  case  the  hair 
should  be  dressed  to  throw  into  the  background 
any  pronounced  feature  or  defect,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  supplement  or  heighten  those  traits  which 
make  for  beauty.  The  principle  of  the  use  of  the 
horizontal  and  vertical  lines  should  be  applied  to 
the  dressing  of  the  hair  as  well  as  to  the  costume 
itself.  The  choice  and  use  of  colored  hair-ribbons 
should  in  no  way  detract  from  the  color,  texture, 
and  lustre  of  the  hair,  nor  should  the  quantity  of 
the  ribbon  be  out  of  proportion  to  the  size  of  the 
head.  No  girl  should  adopt  a  prevailing  style  in 
hair  dressing  unless  it  conforms  to  the  type  and 
character  of  her  head. 

Fashion  at  one  instant  may  obscure  one  part  of 
the  body  and  at  another  time  emphasize  it.  In  the 
ballroom  bare  neck  and  arms  may  be  displayed 


J2  Costume  Design 

without  attracting  attention,  but  upon  the  street 
this  fashion  becomes  offensive  because  obedience 
fo  it  makes  such  an  exhibition  inappropriate  whether 
one  is  fortunate  enough  to  be  beautifully  formed 
or  is  the  unhappy  possessor  of  bones  and  unpleasing 
angles. 

A  better  and  more  appropriate  selection  of  shoes 
and  their  use  needs  to  be  considered.  The  wearing 
of  white  or  light  shoes  with  dark  suits  in  any  kind 
of  weather  is  a  display  of  ignorance.  Light  shoes 
are  intended  for  light  dresses  and  for  dress  occa- 
sions. When  combined  with  dark  suits  they  call 
attention  to  that  part  of  the  figure  that  should  be 
kept  quiet  and  unobtrusive.  Silk  hose  and  dancing 
pumps  on  the  street  on  stormy,  snowy  days  are  a 
violation  of  the  laws  of  common  sense  as  well  as 
good  taste.  Shoes  too  small  for  one's  feet  give  the 
appearance  of  shoes  having  been  stuffed,  as  is  also 
the  case  with  gloves  that  are  too  tight.  French  heels 
worn  by  one  required  to  stand  long  periods  of  time 
are  evidence  of  failure  to  understand  fitness  to  pur- 
pose. Girls  who  are  fitting  themselves  for  commer- 
cial occupations  need  to  know  that  comfort  and 
health  will  increase  their  efficiency,  and  that  the  shoe 


Appropriateness  7J 

that  is  broad  and  flat  enough  to  give  comfort  and 
ease  should  be  used  for  business  and  the  street,  and 
the  dressier  shoe  be  reserved  for  home  and  social 
occasions. 

An  accessory  that  might  properly  be  omitted  by 
the  young  high  school  girl  is  powder.  Powder  is 
intended  for  people  who  have  lost  their  youth  and 
freshness.  As  one  grows  older  the  planes  of  the 
face  become  complicated.  Powder  simplifies  them. 
The  planes  and  blemishes  become  less  apparent  and 
the  main  features  are  emphasized  by  the  use  of 
powder.  A  young  girl  glowing  in  color  and  fresh- 
ness has  no  need  of  anything  to  enhance  the  charm 
she  already  possesses. 

In  art  the  caricaturist  emphasizes  through  ridi- 
cule certain  facts  which  drive  home  a  truth  where 
language  fails.  So  in  the  classroom,  the  making  of 
decorative  drawings  or  posters  of  various  phases  of 
inappropriate  dressing,  treated  in  a  manner  similar 
to  that  of  the  initial  figures  of  the  chapters  of  this 
book,  helps  to  awaken  the  younger  student  and 
sometimes  the  one  of  riper  years  to  the  realization 
that  our  clothes  often  make  caricatures  of  us.  When 
students  realize  that  principle  is  the  underlying  ele- 


7^  Costume  Design 

ment  of  good  taste  they  will  find  through  observa- 
tion no  end  of  topics  which  illustrate  the  many 
phases  of  inappropriate  dressing. 


CHAPTER  XI 

DESIGN  IN  DRESS  FABRICS 

In  the  days  of  the  guilds 
the  mass  of  craftsmen 
made  no  effort  to  gain 
any  definite  style.  Their 
sole  aim  was  to  produce 
something  beautiful. 
Being  the  essential  mo- 
tive power,  beauty  be- 
came the  commonest 
and  most  useful  thing 
in  their  daily  lives. 
Since  those  days,  there 
has  been  no  improvement  in  the  main  processes; 
what  improvement  has  come  has  been  merely  in 
the  direction  of  reduction  in  cost,  not  in  that  of 
design  or  texture. 

In  textiles  and  fabrics,  the  kind  of  material,  its 
texture,  and  the  process  of  its  weave  govern  the 
character  of  the  design.  The  process  of  the  weav- 
ing sets  up  its  own  capacities  and  limitations,  which 
the  designer  has  to  consider.  A  good  designer 

75 


jf)  Costume  Design 

knows  how  to  turn  into  capital  not  only  these 
capacities  but  the  limitations  as  well.  He  achieves 
through  limitation  a  breadth  and  richness  in  de- 
sign and  a  judicious  alternation  of  light  and  dark 
even  in  one  tone  contrasts,  and  depends  upon  the 
sheen  of  the  silk  to  relieve  any  flatness  of  pattern. 
If  the  pattern  be  rigorously  drawn,  the  real  beauty 
of  the  line  and  the  play  of  light  and  dark  in  the 
sheen  give  all  the  variety  necessary.  If  he  is  design- 
ing velvet  brocade,  the  designer  depends  upon  the 
sumptuousness  of  the  pile  to  supplement  the  ex- 
quisite simplicity  of  his  pattern.  In  the  hands  of 
a  true  designer,  the  limitation  as  well  as  the  capacity 
of  weave  increases  his  own  inventive  and  creative 
power. 

The  same  fundamental  principles  which  underlie 
other  phases  of  art  will  be  found  here — the  domi- 
nant with  the  subordinate,  repetition,  and  sym- 
metry. In  the  dominant  with  the  subordinate, 
power  is  felt  through  the  organization  and  con- 
centration of  the  subordinate  forms  to  enrich  the 
dominant.  To  arrange  subordinate  forms  which 
are  attached  or  related  to  produce  a  single  domi- 
nant form  gives  character  and  a  structural  element 


Design  in  Dress  Fabrics  77 

to  the  whole.  Most  designers  use  forms  remotely 
suggesting  flowers  or  simplified  nature  forms  ar- 
ranged in  balance  to  express  length  and  breadth, 
but  never  depth.  Leaves,  stems  and  vines  may  be 
twisted  or  bent  into  lines  conforming  to  ideas  of 
growth.  If  floral  forms  are  used  there  must  always 
be  consistency  in  the  character  of  growth.  The 
worst  designs  are  those  which  are  attempts  to  imi- 
tate or  portray  nature  in  form  or  color.  When 
designs  lack  inventive  power,  they  imitate  nature 
with  disastrous  results. 

Another  element  to  be  considered  in  the  principle 
of  dominant  with  subordinate  is  the  contrast  of 
light  and  dark  in  forms.  Some  designers  who  know 
the  technique  of  weaving  use  a  judicious  alterna- 
tion of  light  on  dark  background  or  dark  on  light 
to  give  contrast  values.  One  or  the  other  must 
dominate,  but  if  one  overbalances  the  other  it  fails 
in  the  same  degree  as  do  equal  divisions  of  light 
and  dark.  One  method  employed  breaks  up  the 
broad  mass  with  an  introduction  of  smaller  detail, 
involving  an  intermingling  of  the  light  and  dark. 
This  does  away  with  any  possible  appearance  of 
baldness  or  emptiness,  and  adds  to  the  interest. 


7<?  Costume  Design 

The  great  element  of  design  in  textiles  is  repeti- 
tion in  a  new  form  which  repeats  the  unit  at  regular 
intervals  over  a  surface.  The  unit  itself  may  be 
rhythmical  and  symmetrical  in  form,  or  may  be 
repeated  rhythmically  and  symmetrically,  or  both. 
The  method  and  manner  of  repeating  a  unit  varies 
but  slightly.  To  insure  regular  repetition  a  geo- 
metric construction  basis  has  been  accepted  which 
places  the  unit  at  stated  intervals  over  the  surface 
in  a  systematic,  organic  arrangement.  In  an  inter- 
relation of  lines  the  original  basis  may  or  may  not 
appear.  This  method  of  repeat  becomes  necessarily 
mechanical,  but  it  is  infinitely  more  desirable  than 
the  disorderly,  inorganic,  disjointed  arrangement 
recently  found  in  new  fabrics.  No  amount  of  fine 
color  will  compensate  for  the  absence  of  either 
organization  or  coherent  and  consistent  construction. 

Repetition  in  surface  patterns  is  inevitable  from 
both  the  economic  and  the  artistic  side,  for  neither 
machine  nor  man  can  go  on  forever  producing  new 
designs.  The  recurrence  of  a  unit  at  intervals  adds 
enrichment.  The  oftener  a  form  is  repeated,  the 
greater  the  need  for  simplicity  and  for  the  removal 
of  all  imitation  of  nature.  The  charm  of  the 


Design  in  Dress  Fabrics  JQ 

simplest  flower  is  lost  when  seen  in  endless  repe- 
tition. 

Luster  and  color  in  silks  often  lead  one  to  forget 
form,  for  the  artist  has  reveled  in  color  at  the 
expense  of  the  design;  but  if  we  translate  the  pat- 
tern into  light  and  dark  values  to  discover  the  de- 
sign, the  design  and  charm  both  disappear.  Color 
and  texture  often  hide  bad  design.  In  order  to 
disguise  the  shabbiness  of  texture  some  designers 
use  confused,  over-crowded  patterns  which  fill  every 
particle  of  space.  Highly  elaborate,  self-assertive 
patterns  will  bear  repetition  in  neither  production 
nor  use.  The  real  object  of  a  good  design  is  at- 
tained when  it  grows  more  beautiful  the  more 
one  contemplates  it.  With  no  attempt  to  produce 
designs,  understanding  and  appreciation  may  be 
gained  from  a  study  of  various  examples  of  fabrics, 
old  and  new. 


CHAPTER  XII 

DESIGN  IN  DRESS 

The  practical  use  of  ma- 
terials and  the  construc- 
tion of  a  dress  can  in  no 
way  be  separated  from 
the  design.  The  principles 
of  design  never  change, 
but  once  learned  they  be- 
come the  primary  factor 
in  all  phases  of  art.  It  is 
only  the  new  form  of  ex- 
pressing a  principle  that 
is  disturbing.  The  one 
who  has  an  understanding  of  the  principles  of  design 
has  a  working  basis  upon  which  all  dresses  may  be 
designed  unhindered  by  ever-shifting  styles. 

The  beauty  of  design  in  dress  depends  first  upon 
the  structural  lines.  The  placing  of  these  lines  in 
a  dress  is  as  important  as  the  placing  of  framework 
in^  house,  requiring  that  each  line  be  thoughtfully 
adjusted  to  make  it  perform  its  function  in  the 

80 


Design  in  Dress  Fabrics  8l 

harmony  of  the  whole.  Certain  essential  forms  re- 
main, regardless  of  the  style  in  vogue  at  any  given 
moment.  A  sleeve  is  a  sleeve,  a  waist,  a  waist,  and 
a  skirt  remains  a  skirt  though  the  structural  lines 
controlling  their  shape  vary  in  position,  proportion, 
and  direction.  In  addition  to  these  essential  struc- 
tural lines  we  have  the  lines  of  accessories,  such  as 
draperies,  flounces,  panniers,  trimmings,  etc.,  which 
determine  the  character,  design,  and  style  of  the 
garment,  and  usually  influence  and  change  the  sil- 
houette of  the  figure.  The  direction  of  these  lines 
is  what  gives  order,  grace,  and  symmetry,  or  dis- 
order, confusion,  and  instability.  There  are  hidden 
force,  vivacity,  and  life  in  the  lines  of  a  dress  that 
come  with  a  long,  upward  sweep,  while  there  is 
disorganized  weakness  in  lines  that  droop  or  sprawl 
awkwardly,  displaying  disjointed  movement,  or  that 
divide  the  figure  into  sections.  When  the  drapery 
falls  in  long  folds  few  in  number  and  pure  in  curve, 
each  movement  of  the  body  creates  in  the  material 
a  new  set  of  graceful  folds  which  follow  the  con- 
tour of  the  body,  as  in  the  initial  figure,  page  31. 
The  true  strength  of  design  will  be  found  when 
the  structural  lines  express  vitality,  force,  and 


82  Costume  Design 

directness,  and  present  a  unity  and  simplicity  which 
make  for  enduring  satisfaction. 

If  drapery  is  drawn  upward  instead  of  being  al- 
lowed to  fall,  the  points  of  support,  the  number  of 
folds,  the  method  of  arrangement,  and  the  texture 
of  the  fabric  all  influence  the  character  of  the  lines. 
Lines  formed  by  a  zigzag  arrangement  more  or  less 
angular,  caused  by  the  weight  of  V-shaped  festoons 
or  transverse  creases  or  folds  descending  and  diverg- 
ing to  make  room  for  others,  give  confusion,  unrest, 
and  awkward  movement,  and  disturb  and  even 
distort  the  silhouette  of  the  figure,  as  in  the  initial 
figures,  pages  45  and  S3.  The  eye  habitually  con- 
nects similar  things  and  follows  the  course  of  a 
line.  The  flow  of  light  over  a  surface  or  down  a 
told  aids  the  eye  in  passing  from  one  to  another. 
The  eye  is  compelled  to  make  an  unpleasant  ad- 
justment when  it  has  to  pass  across  instead  of  down 
lines  and  is  further  troubled  when  many  cross  lights 
are  caught  upon  transverse  folds  and  broken  curves 
which  have  no  rhythmical  connection  with  each 
other.  If  lines  are  crossed  and  multiplied,  the  design 
becomes  confused  and  difficult  to  follow.  Rhythm 
in  line  which  comes  through  regularly  recurrent  ac- 


Design  in  Dress  83 

cents  either  through  folds  — as  in  second  and  third 
figures,  Plate  A — or  trimmings,  or  points  of  support 
— as  in  initial  figure,  page  80 — is  important.  When 
these  accents  are  irrelevant,  the  proper  relation  and 
interdependence  of  parts  is  lost.  Long,  graceful 
lines  and  complete  curves  will  produce  unity  and  sim- 
plicity from  complexity,  and  the  directness  and  vigor 
of  structural  lines  organically  arranged  will  bring 
order  out  of  confusion.  Power  is  secured  through 
the  leadership  of  main  or  dominant  lines  which  are 
clear,  coherent,  and  readily  seen. 

By  the  different  adjustment  of  lines,  forms  and 
areas  are  gained  which  produce  proportion.  Good 
proportion  means  a  balance  in  good  spacing  which 
gives  a  sense  of  equilibrium  without  equal  divisions. 
A  one-line  division  in  a  dress  expresses  meagreness. 
Equal  divisions  in  a  dress  produce  monotony,  as  in 
1,  Plate  XL  Redundance  of  division  subordinates 
the  person  to  the  dress,  as  is  seen  in  a  superfluity 
of  flounces  or  in  tiers  of  trimmings.  Good  propor- 
tion is  a  comparative  relation  of  parts  to  the  whole, 
which  when  secured  produces  harmony  and  beauty. 
The  sense  of  proportion  is  not  wholly  a  natural 
gift,  but  neither  is  it  wholly  the  result  of  knowl- 


84  Costume  Design 

PLATE  XI 

1.  Equal  divisions. 

2.  Balance  of  unequal  spaces. 

3.  No  rhythmical  relation  of  spots. 

4.  Conflicting  elements  and  self-assertive  spots. 

5.  Related  accents  showing  unity. 

6.  Unity  and  coherence. 

7.  Strong  lines  having  vitality. 

8.  Weak  structural  lines. 


PLATE   XI 


86  Costume  Design 

edge  of  drawing  or  of  experience  in  designing.  It 
is  a  combination  of  all.  It  is  an  acquired  power 
which  results  from  a  persistent  effort  to  choose 
properly  balanced  spaces  and  to  exercise  accurate 
critical  powers,  so  that  one  becomes  delicately 
sensitive  to  finer  forms,  shapes,  and  proportions. 

The  dominant  lines  of  a  dress  mark  certain  neces- 
sary big  spaces.  Within  these  big  spaces,  the  de- 
tails must  be  disposed  of  through  the  use  of  light 
and  dark  or  of  tone  in  the  materials  employed, 
to  give  the  dominant  and  subordinate  masses.  Color 
adds  charm  and  enrichment.  The  dominant  mass 
is  more  frequently  placed  at  the  center  front,  some- 
times involving  waist  and  skirt,  as  in  the  second 
figure,  Plate  XII;  or  it  may  come  in  the  horizontal 
divisions,  as  in  the  first  figure,  Plate  XII.  If  the 
big  space  is  left  untouched  and  remains  dominant, 
certain  other  spaces  become  component  parts  of 
the  design,  as  in  the  sleeves  of  the  third  figure, 
Plate  XII,  and  in  the  initial  figure,  page  80.  Oc- 
casionally a  successful  design  has  been  found  where 
the  dominant  mass  came  in  transverse  bands  or  fes- 
tooned flounces  at  the  bottom  of  a  dress.  However, 
the  normal  position  for  it  is  in  the  waist. 


Design  in  Dress  8j 

Power  and  beauty  will  be  expressed  through  the 
organization  and  concentration  of  the  subordinate  to 
the  dominant  mass.  The  orderly  arrangement  of 
subordinate  forms  which  are  attached  or  related 
to  the  dominant  mass  is  what  gives  structural  unity 
and  consistency  as  well  as  character  to  the  design, 
as  in  the  central  figure,  Plate  XII.  There  should 
be  similarity  in  form,  but  subordination  in  size  and 
proportion.  The  repetition  of  forms  and  colors 
sympathetically  arranged  gives  variety  and  coher- 
ence. Absence  of  coherent,  organized,  or  consistent^ 
relations  of  spots  or  masses  makes  ugly  and  awk-/ 
ward  spaces  with  no  rhythmical  connection  with  the 
dominant  mass,  as  in  3,  Plate  XL  There  must  be 
reason  for  each  line,  tone,  and  form  employed,  for 
their  position,  proportion,  and  shape  determine  their 
fitness.  The  whole  must  be  made  up  of  parts  so 
organized  and  related  to  each  other  and  to  the  whole 
that  no  one  can  be  removed  without  affecting  the 
unity  of  the  whole. 

Unity  is  a  consistent  relation  of  all  forms  with  a 
reason  for  each  that  keeps  the  right  accent  in  the 
proper  place.  Unity  holds  the  attention  to  the  main 
mass  and  does  not  permit  the  eye  to  jump  from  one 


88  Costume  Design 

place  to  another,  as  in  figure  3  and  4,  Plate  XI,  but 
leads  it  through  all  the  details  of  the  design  in 
orderly  movement.  Unity  involves  rhythm.  If  a 
subordinate  surface  asserts  itself  either  by  size,  bold 
pattern,  or  strong  color  it  becomes  the  only  part  of 
the  figure  which  is  seen.  If  a  dress  expresses  unity 
there  will  be  no  opposition  of  parts  or  accents,  no 
elements  of  conflict  or  divisions,  no  inconsistent  in- 
troduction of  self-assertive  spots  or  patches  of  color, 
and  no  lavish  or  unintelligent  use  of  ornaments,  even 
if  the  materials  introduced  are  marvels  of  beauty  in 
themselves.  There  will  be  nothing  to  disturb  the 
harmony.  A  dress  is  satisfactory  only  when  all  the 
details  of  which  it  is  composed  disappear  in  the 
general  harmony  of  the  whole. 

When  dresses  are  designed  with  lines  suited  to  the 
wearer's  individual  figure,  thus  accenting  the  grace- 
ful contours  of  the  body;  when  they  are  fashioned 
in  obedience  to  principles  of  art  and  express  origi- 
nality in  design;  when  they  utilize  colors  that  en- 
hance and  enrich  the  complexion  and  add  to  the 
harmony  of  the  whole,  then  women  and  girls  will 
be  contented  with  what  is  permanently  beautiful, 
and  will  cease  to  follow  every  fleeting  change  of 
fashion. 


PLATE   XII 


Tlome 
ploraiingf 


Gvery  Trains  "proper  mansion, 
hous,  oral  home, ,  being  the-f 
theatre-  of  his  hospitality,* 
the,  secrte/of  his  sefe-fru,— 

A.         ^  -»  ^^  ^^  -»   ^^^  -^^ 

partr 


1^>  the.-  noblest 
in/ie 


lance., 


thereof 
an. 


coorui  rmqy  TuelL  deserve? 
these^  attributes  accord* 


tnastar 

to"  be  deHgh^ully  adorned.? 


by  *  5ir'*llenry  * 


ujrittcn.  in  1600 


The  letter  written  by  Sir  Henry  Wotten  is  from  Litchfield  s  Ilhtstrated 
History  of  Furniture,  and  is  reproduced  by  the  courtesy  of  the  owners 
of  the  copyright,  The  Page  Company. 


PLATE    XIII 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  HOME 

The  primary  cause 
of  the  existence  of  in- 
dustries, of  commerce, 
of  every  form  of  man- 
ual and  mental  labor, 
is  that  men  and  women 
desire  to  maintain  a 
home.  They  subject 
themselves  to  all  man- 
ner of  toil,  endurance, 
and  sacrifice  in  order 
that  they  may  realize 
in  a  degree,  at  least,  the  fulfillment  of  some  cher- 
ished ideal  of  a  home.  Though  not  the  boundary; 
the  home  is  the  vital  center  of  all  life's  activities. 
It  is  the  place  where  the  wholesome  spiritual,  in- 
tellectual, and  physical  growth  of  all  members  of 
the  family  may  be  fostered.  It  is  a  place  where 
beauty  is  as  vital  to  true  happiness  as  is  convenience, 
and  where  the  friendly  recognition  of  individual 
rights  is  vital  to  the  comfort  of  the  family.  Its  in- 

96 


The  Home  97 

fluence  is  the  most  enduring  that  can  be  brought 
into  the  life  of  a  being,  whether  for  good  or  evil. 
Out  of  it  have  come  disastrous  failures,  and  out 
of  it  men  and  women  have  developed  strength 
of  character,  honor,  integrity,  and  understanding 
of  ideals.  The  mission  of  the  home  is  to  teach  the 
value  of  the  ideal  combined  with  the  practical,  and 
to  cultivate  the  heart. 

Home  making  is  a  profession,  and  needs  the  train- 
ing necessary  for  the  pursuit  of  a  profession.  The 
homemaker  has  to  deal  with  artistic  merit  and  with 
the  ingenuity  of  invention  in  industrial  and  com- 
mercial products,  which  include  everything  from 
house-building,  paint,  and  glazing  to  furniture- 
making,  textile-weaving,  pottery,  and  fine  arts.  A 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  industries  involved 
is  important  to  the  welfare  of  the  home,  since  every- 
thing used  or  fashioned  is  either  beautiful  or  ugly, 
and  has  or  has  not  economic  and  artistic  value.  No 
problem  in  life  requires  a  higher  grade  of  intel- 
ligence in  management,  selection,  and  arrangement, 
or  a  broader  sympathy  and  understanding  of  every 
phase  of  industry  and  art  than  that  involved  in 
the  establishment  of  a  home. 


gS  Home  Planning 

As  a  consumer,  the  homemaker  must  take  her 
responsibility  in  spending  an  income  no  less  earn- 
estly and  seriously  than  the  man  takes  his  as  a 
producer.  She  must  face  the  same  problem  that 
the  man  of  affairs  faces  in  his  business,  that  of  the 
estimation  of  cost,  qualities,  and  values,  both  eco- 
nomic and  artistic,  and  the  relation  of  expenditure 
to  income.  The  homemaker  must  awaken  to  the 
realization  that  the  energy  and  steadiness  of  the 
father  in  earning  an  income  must  be  met  with  equal 
wisdom  and  care  in  the  spending.  For  it  is  as 
important  to  produce  an  intelligent  consumer  as  it 
is  to  develop  a  capable  producer,  and  the  ethical, 
artistic,  and  economic  success  of  a  household 
depends  as  much  upon  the  care  and  intelligence  in 
spending  the  income  as  it  does  upon  the  earning. 

Suppose  that  you  were  unexpectedly  to  come 
into  possession  of  a  limited  sum  of  money,  perhaps 
$5,000.00  or  $4,500.00,  or  even  only  $4,000.00,  with 
which  to  purchase  a  lot  and  build  and  furnish  a 
house,  with  the  stipulation  that  the  finished  product 
should  be  beautiful  and  harmonious  in  arrangement 
and  free  from  all  debt.  What  would  you  do  with 
it?  Has  home  any  significance  to  you  other  than 


PLATE    XIV 


IOO  Home  Planning 

its  appearance  and  location?  Have  you  some  hid- 
den ambition  which  you  long  to  embody  in  definite, 
practical  form?  Can  you  maintain  such  an  invest- 
ment upon  the  present  income  of  your  family? 

The  solution  of  this  problem  confronts  every 
student  of  Home  Planning.  While  it  is  wholly 
an  imaginary  one,  it  may  be  made  so  practical  as 
to  lie  well  within  the  range  of  ordinary  experience, 
and  may  be  developed  in  every  way  in  which  an 
actual  one  is  developed.  The  sum  stipulated  in  the 
course  is  limited  for  two  reasons:  first,  the  average 
wage-earner  seldom  has  more  than  $5,000.00  to 
spend  on  such  an  investment;  and  second,  while  it 
requires  no  particular  amount  of  intelligence  to 
spend  money,  as  the  over-abundance  and  noisy 
self-assertion  of  some  furnishings  testify,  to  spend  a 
small  amount  discreetly  and  discriminately  requires 
a  marked  degree  of  knowledge  of  what  consti- 
tutes beauty  and  good  construction.  To  spend 
money  lavishly  is  not  necessarily  an  indication  of 
good  taste,  but  often  betrays  a  complex  state  of 
mind  which  desires  accumulations  usually  of  the 
commonplace,  and  rarely  of  the  beautiful.  We  are 
told  that  "the  chief  use  of  art  is  to  sharpen  our 


The  Home 


dulled  senses,"  that  is,  to  bring  into  practical  exer- 
cise our  discriminating  powers  in  choosing  and 
using  what  is  beautiful  and  harmonious  in  form 
and  color. 

The  problem  which  confronts  the  student  is  how 
to  obtain  the  greatest  amount  of  beauty  and  con- 
venience with  the  least  amount  of  actual  expendi- 
ture; how  to  be  adequately  housed  so  that  artistic 
simplicity  may  go  hand  in  hand  with  economy. 
Beauty  in  common  and  familiar  things  must  be 
secured,  artistic  merit  must  be  attained  in  the 
arrangement  of  all  furnishings,  and  a  knowledge 
of  principles  governing  good  construction  and  pro- 
duction of  furniture  and  floor-coverings  must  be 
exercised.  In  short,  there  must  be  ability  to  select 
with  economic  and  artistic  comprehension  all  things 
that  go  into  the  house,  from  the  humblest  articles  of 
utility  in  the  kitchen  to  the  fine  arts. 

As  the  shrewd  man  of  affairs  makes  careful  cal- 
culations of  every  detail  of  a  proposed  business 
venture  before  he  enters  into  it,  so  the  student  of 
this  problem  must  carefully  consider  all  things 
pertaining  to  the  location,  the  building,  and  the 
furnishing  of  this  house.  The  vital  question  which 


V  -Home  Pla nnlng 

the  investor  faces  is  the  maintenance  of  this  invest- 
ment upon  a  limited  salary.  Can  a  $4,000.00 
investment  be  maintained  upon  a  $900.00  salary? 
Is  it  possible  to  maintain  a  $4,500.00  investment 
upon  an  $1,100.00  salary?  Or  a  $5,000.00  invest- 
ment upon  a  $1,200.00  or  $1,500.00  salary?  What 
are  the  actual  living  expenses  of  a  family  of  five 
for  one  year  upon  any  one  of  these  stated  salaries? 
This  should  be  worked  out,  not  from  statistics,  but 
from  the  actual  living  expenses  of  the  student's 
own  family.  The  main  items  may  be  considered 
under  two  heads,  living  expenses  and  pleasures. 
Enumerating  the  living  expenses,  we  find  the  main 
items  to  be  food,  clothes,  fuel,  light,  water,  laundry, 
taxes,  insurance,  assessments,  medical  attention,  car- 
fare, church,  and  charities,  besides  many  other  items 
under  the  head  of  miscellany.  Under  pleasures, 
the  expenditures  cover  books,  amusements,  enter- 
tainment, hospitality,  and  travel.  The  final  esti- 
mate of  the  distribution  of  the  cost  of  living  will 
vary  according  to  the  locality  of  the  home,  the 
family  tastes,  and  their  methods  and  manner  of 
living. 

Should  any  one  still  remain  in  doubt  as  to  the 


The  Home  103 

amount  of  human  effort  or  sacrifice  required  to 
maintain  a  home,  let  him  carefully  itemize  the 
expenditure  for  food  for  a  family  of  five  for  a 
year,  and  also  the  individual  budgets  for  clothing 
for  each  member  of  this  family  for  one  year. 
Then  he  will  realize  how  little  comparatively  is 
left  for  books  and  amusements;  what  members  of 
the  family  can  travel  and  how  far.  There  will  no 
longer  be  any  question  of  the  need  of  giving  students 
knowledge  and  skill  in  the  successful  selection  and 
management  of  the  home,  for  they  are  soon  to 
become  the  homemakers  who  are  to  select  the  food, 
the  clothing,  and  the  common  furnishings  as  well 
as  the  fine  arts,  every  phase  of  each  of  which  should 
minister  to  the  highest  welfare  of  the  home. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CHOICE  OF  SITE 

The  most  important 
thing  after  the  decision 
to  build  is  the  selection 
of  the  site.  Many  times 
through  a  combination 
of  circumstances  only 
one  locality  has  been 
available  to  the  pros- 
pective purchaser,  and 
n  o  opportunity  has 
been  given  to  gratify  a 
cherished  ideal.  The 
best  results  will  be  attained  when  the  preliminary 
questions  can  receive  careful  and  mature  consid- 
eration. 

The  purpose  or  ideal  around  which  this  home 
is  to  be  built  determines  the  type  of  house  and  its 
location.  One  desires  a  modest  home.  Another 
may  choose  an  income  property, — a  building  to  be 
rented,  a  double  or  duplex;  or  a  small  shop  in 

104 


Choice  of  Site  IO$ 

which  the  owner  maintains  a  residence  and  at  the 
same  time  carries  on  his  business.  One's  love  for 
nature  may  lead  to  the  choice  of  a  produce  farm 
to  raise  poultry,  truck,  small  fruits,  flowers,  mush- 
rooms, or  bees.  Whatever  the  decision,  the  actual 
setting  for  the  house  must  be  critically  investigated. 
Desirable  and  inexpensive  sites  suitable  for  the 
modest  residence  can  be  found  in  the  outskirts  of 
a  city  or  near  a  small  park  or  along  some  of  the 
water-courses  to  be  found  in  every  city  and  town. 
There  are  to  be  found  in  every  city  irregularly 
shaped  lots  of  uneven,  rolling  land  which  can  be 
secured  at  a  minimum  price.  This  type  of  site, 
overlooked  or  ignored  by  the  real  estate  man  whose 
sense  of  beauty  has  been  dulled  by  the  regulation, 
smoothed-down,  artificial  lawn,  can  be  made  dis- 
tinctive and  beautiful.  A  specially  designed  house, 
recessed  to  fit  the  possible  irregularity  and  thus 
skillfully  retaining  the  natural  beauty  of  the  land, 
relieves  the  monotony  of  the  regular  building-line 
of  the  street.  iThe  site  commanding  fine  views  up 
or  down  stream,  across  valleys  or  lake,  or  down 
city  streets  must  not  be  overlooked,  for  a  site  with 
a  vista  is  likely  to  increase  in  value,  j  Every  avail- 


IO6  Home  Planning 

able  resource  should  be  employed  in  seeking  a 
desirable  location  for  the  permanent  dwelling 
place. 

The  site  which  will  bring  the  largest  income 
for  the  investment  determines  the  selection  of  the 
location  for  the  rental  property.  In  every  city 
and  town  the  proximity  to  the  best  residence  dis- 
tricts will  bring  the  best  return  upon  an  investment, 
but  the  valuable  frontage  makes  it  impossible  in 
this  project  to  purchase  a  lot  facing  any  of  the  best 
residential  streets.  The  cross  streets  in  or  near 
these  districts  frequently  offer  sufficient  space  at 
the  rear  end  of  a  lot  for  the  construction  of  a  com- 
pact double  or  duplex  house  without  a  yard.  Those 
persons  desiring  yards  or  kitchen  gardens  for  their 
rental  property  can  secure  locations  in  the  less 
fashionable  parts  of  the  city.  The  residence  section 
of  the  manufacturing  district  offers  an  opportunity 
for  good  rentals  at  varying  rates  of  interest  on 
investment,  according  to  the  character  of  improve- 
ments. The  little  shop  must  be  situated  in  an  acces- 
sible thoroughfare  in  an  outlying  district  where 
large  numbers  of  workers  pass  its  windows  daily. 


Choice  of  Site  IOJ 

The  limited  sum  to  spend  makes  it  impossible  to 
select  a  central  location. 

The  locality  chosen,  the  prospective  owner  is 
brought  face  to  face  with  the  consideration  of  con- 
ditions, either  detrimental  or  beneficial,  to  be  found 
in  the  community  in  which  he  intends  to  live.  It  is 
necessary  to  acquaint  himself  with  innumerable 
facts  related  to  the  health,  comfort,  and  happiness 
of  the  family.  He  must  investigate  the  source  of 
water  supply,  the  manner  of  sewage  disposal,  and 
the  source  and  efficiency  of  the  lighting  system. 
He  must  learn  whether  street-widening  and  other 
improvements  and  assessments  fall  upon  the  pur- 
chaser, and  also  the  possibility  of  future  increase 
or  depreciation  in  the  value  of  the  land.  The 
character  of  the  neighbors,  both  present  and  pros- 
pective, and  the  accessibility  of  schools,  shops, 
churches,  and  social  activities  must  also  be  consid- 
ered. The  lot  must  be  in  close  proximity  to  satisfac- 
tory lines  of  transportation,  but  not  so  near  that  the 
noise  of  traffic  can  disturb  the  purchaser's  rest  and 
relaxation.  His  home  must  be  amply  protected 
against  fire,  and  must  be  protected  by  law  against 
the  encroachments  of  saloons  and  other  detrimental 


IO8  Home  Planning 

influences.  Such  considerations  may  make  slight 
difference  to  a  transient  dweller,  but  to  a  possible 
purchaser  they  are  of  the  utmost  importance. 

All  this  settled  to  his  satisfaction,  the  prospective 
owner  may  be  surprised  to  find  that  he  can  not 
build  the  kind  of  structure  he  wishes.  He  will 
find  that  local  building  committees  have  adopted 
regulations  and  restrictions  controlling  the  construc- 
tion of  all  buildings.  It  will  be  necessary  to  ascer- 
tain what  legal  guarantee  the  community  offers  as 
to  the  quality,  kind,  and  value  of  the  buildings 
permitted  on  this  and  on  adjacent  land. 

The  desire  to  live  in  the  country  may  lead  to 
various  choices.  To  those  with  abundant  resources, 
who  care  little  for  society  and  its  affairs,  the  selec- 
tion of  a  location  may  depend  on  natural  beauty, 
for  example,  a  bluff  near  a  river  or  lake,  or  pines 
or  beech  woods.  They  may  give  no  consideration 
to  other  advantages  or  disadvantages  aside  from 
the  proximity  to  the  railroad  station  and  the  ease 
with  which  necessary  supplies  can  be  obtained. 
The  one  who  develops  this  location  has  ample 
opportunity  to  make  it  into  a  picture  which  will 
delight  the  eye  all  the  year  around  with  its  har- 


Choice  of  Site  IOQ 

monious    relation    of    contours,    trees,    roads,    and 
vistas. 

To  the  one  who  desires  a  produce  farm,  the  con- 
siderations will  be  very  different.  The  natural 
beauty  of  the  setting  will  receive  little  attention, 
for  in  this  case  the  nature  of  the  soil,  the  drainage 
of  the  land,  and  its  water  supply  are  of  primary 
importance.  The  influence  of  soil  upon  vegetation 
as  well  as  upon  health  is  apparent,  and  a  prospective 
purchaser  must  know  whether  it  be  loam  or  clay, 
gravel  or  sand,  fertile  or  sterile.  Rich  loam  is 
best  for  vegetation.  Loam  with  a  substratum  of 
gravel  and  sand  is  usually  found  in  low  lands  near 
a  river  and  is  excellent  for  drainage  because  it  is 
porous  and  allows  the  water  to  disappear  quickly. 
Clay,  the  commonest  soil  in  the  country,  holds 
water  and  fosters  dampness.  It  is  usually  found 
on  high  land  and  frequently  is  water  logged,  thus 
making  the  air  damp  and  cold.  It  is  possible  to 
change  the  condition  of  soil  by  a  system  of  subsoil 
drainage  and  sometimes  by  the  removal  of  trees. 
The  subsoil  drainage  can  be  carried  out  by  means 
of  tiles  or  pipes  placed  two  or  three  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  It  is  also  possible  to 


HO  Home  Planning 

change  the  condition  of  the  soil  by  the  carting  of 
leaf-loam  and  the  use  of  various  kinds  of  fertilizers. 
This  is  expensive  and  not  always  satisfactory  unless 
there  is  a  proper  condition  of  soil  to  receive  it. 
A  rocky  subsoil  with  a  top  layer  of  clay  will  grow 
a  kind  of  vegetation  which  is  sometimes  desirable 
for  poultry,  but  this  the  small  fruit  or  truck  farmer 
will  not  choose.  Where  water  trickles  through  the 
rocky  strata  sufficiently  to  form  ponds  there  will 
be  a  good  location  for  duck  or  frog  farms.  "Made" 
ground  should  be  avoided,  for  it  consists  of  animal 
and  vegetable  refuse  which  frequently  ferments 
and  putrifies. 

The  expense  of  building  varies  a  good  deal 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  foundation.  If  built 
upon  a  clay  site  the  foundation  needs  to  be  placed 
deep  enough  to  avoid  shrinkage  from  atmospheric 
changes  and  thereby  to  prevent  walls  from  settling 
and  cracking.  A  stiff  clay  makes  a  good  foundation 
if  there  is  a  porous  subsoil.  There  is  a  possibility 
of  movement  of  sand  or  gravel  from  the  action  of 
water  which  may  cause  walls  to  crack  unless  the 
foundation  of  the  house  is  very  stable  and  well 
placed. 


Choice  of  Site  III 

The  best  site  for  any  house  will  be  on  raised 
ground,  which  slopes  away  in  all  directions,  thus 
giving  natural  drainage.  A  generous  distribution 
of  trees  which  will  give  sufficient  shade  and  sun- 
shine permits  free  circulation  of  air.  Such  trees  will 
also  serve  as  shelter  from  prevailing  winds,  for  the 
direction  of  winds  on  a  bluff,  across  a  plain,  or 
down  a  street  makes  a  screen  of  some  sort  neces- 
sary in  exposed  places.  In  case  of  dampness,  no 
trees  should  be  nearer  the  house  than  the  length 
of  the  tallest  tree,  thus  permitting  a  circulation 
of  air  and  sunshine.  The  value  of  the  latter  as  a 
disinfectant  can  scarcely  be  overestimated. 

Water  supply  as  well  as  drainage  and  soil  should 
be  considered  and  settled  before  the  site  is  perma- 
nently fixed  upon.  The  little  stream  that  babbles 
along  so  peaceably  may  be  an  outlet  for  some 
polluted  body  of  water  higher  up  stream.  It  may 
also  develop  surprising  results  after  a  heavy  rain- 
fall. Drinking  water  from  shallow  wells,  springs, 
or  streams  is  likely  to  become  contaminated  or  to 
fail  in  times  of  drought.  Where  it  is  possible  one 
should  take  advantage  of  public  mains.  Driven 
or  artesian  wells  are  often  the  only  available  source 


PLATE   XV 


Choice  of  Site  113 

of  supply.  A  private  water  plant,  which  can  be 
installed  for  a  reasonable  sum,  furnishes  a  sufficient 
storage  supply  and  also  a  high  enough  pressure  for 

fire  protection.  This  plant  consists  of  a  compressed 
air  and  water  pump,  run  by  an  electric  motor  or  a  gas- 
oline engine  with  an  underground,  an  on-ground  or 
an  overhead  tank  capable  of  containing  several  thou- 
sand gallons  of  water.  This  makes  it  possible  to 

equip  the  house  with  running  water  for  kitchen 
and  bath,  to  supply  drinking  water  for  stock,  and 
to  irrigate  gardens. 

The  desire  for  an  ideal  location  quickens  the 
imagination,  deepens  thoughtfulness  about  expendi- 
tures, and  awakens  a  consciousness  of  personal 
responsibility  in  the  matter  of  good  citizenship. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  HOUSE 


The  actual  plans  and 
elevations  of  the  house 
are  so  intimately  con- 
nected that  they  can 
scarcely  be  treated  in- 
dependently.  If 
beauty  and  economy 
are  to  be  found  in  the 
home,  the  exterior 
must  be  a  direct  and 
straightforward  out- 
come of  internal  re- 
quirements. The  qualities  which  make  for  economy 
will  add  to  artistic  appearance.  Simplicity,  good 
structural  lines,  the  pitch  of  the  roof,  and  the 
grouping  of  windows  and  doors  which  produces 
good  proportions, — these  are  the  qualities  which 
create  beauty  without  adding  to  the  expenditure. 
It  is  a  mistaken  idea  that  crude  and  ugly  dwellings 
are  necessarily  less  expensive  than  those  of  artistic 
merit.  The  charm  of  domestic  architecture  owes 

114 


The  Appearance  of  the  House  II $ 

nothing  to  richness  of  materials  or  abundance  of 
applied  ornamentation,  but  comes  through  the 
thoughtful  use  of  good  proportions  to  secure  grace- 
ful balance  and  pleasing  grouping  and  to  eliminate 
extraneous  ornamentation. 

The  character  and  purpose  of  the  chosen  house 
require  that  it  be  beautiful  and  artistic  and  at  the 
same  time  substantial  and  modest,  and  that  it  be 
the  expression  of  good  taste  and  hospitality.  It 
must  have  such  comforts  and  conveniences  as  will 
meet  the  needs  of  each  member  of  the  family  for 
which  it  is  built.  The  welfare  of  the  family  is  not 
to  be  sacrificed  for  the  pleasure  of  a  chance  guest, 
however  welcome.  Strict  economy  necessitates  a 
square,  compact  house,  for  every  break  or  departure 
from  the  square  or  rectangular  house  means  addi- 
tional expense.  A  square-shaped  house  makes 
possible  a  simple  roof,  which  is  not  only  less  expen- 
sive but  more  beautiful  and  dignified  than  one  of 
many  hips  and  gables. 

The  beauty  of  the  facade  depends  upon  the 
proportions  of  the  width  and  height  of  walls  to 
the  amount  of  roof  which  is  visible.  A  common 
failing  in  many  houses  is  that  they  appear  like 


lid  Home  Planning 

boxes,  the  breadth  being  less  than  the  height 
or  repeating  the  height  of  the  facade.  The  breadth 
should  be  considerably  greater  than  the  height,  and 
the  windows  should  be  so  grouped  and  distributed 
within  the  space  as  to  leave  empty  wall  spaces. 
The  first  story  should  be  higher  than  the  second. 
This  naturally  will  make  necessary  shorter  windows 
on  the  second  floor  than  on  the  first.  The  systematic 
grouping  of  windows  in  balance  with  the  empty 
wall  space  gives  order  and  symmetry.  When  wings 
or  projections  are  necessary  they  should  be  at  right 
angles  to  the  house  and  should  be  small  in  propor- 
tion to  the  actual  width  of  the  elevation  to  which 
they  belong.  Otherwise  the  building  will  not 
appear  as  a  unit.  The  main  structural  lines,  form- 
ing one  complete  unit,  must  be  clearly  defined  and 
must  serve  as  an  outline  of  the  house  as  a  whole. 
Architects  have  always  depended  upon  the  use 
of  the  horizontal  with  the  vertical  line  to  break 
spaces,  and  upon  a  certain  distribution  of  shadow, 
which  emphasizes  form  and  structural  lines,  thus 
relieving  the  monotony  of  a  flat  surface.  This  is 
especially  true  in  Greek  temples,  French  cathedrals, 
and  many  other  noted  buildings.  In  our  modern 


The  Appearance  of  the  House  /// 

dwellings  the  recessed  places,  ells,  porches,  pilasters, 
and  hooded  doorways  cast  shadows  which  empha- 
size structural  forms  and  add  greatly  to  the  appear- 
ance of  the  building.  The  principle  of  the  vertical 
line  emphasizing  height  and  the  horizontal  increas- 
ing the  apparent  width  is  unfailing  in  architecture 
as  in  dress.  This  is  readily  seen  when  vertical 
columns  are  used  in  a  circular  porch  and  extended 
to  the  top  of  the  second  story,  thus  emphasizing 
the  height  of  the  house  and  dwarfing  the  entrance 
and  windows.  The  height  of  -the  column  is  still 
more  exaggerated  and  sometimes  distorted  when 
such  a  house  is  placed  upon  the  top  of  a  hill  with 
the  only  avenue  of  approach  from  below.  This 
house  with  its  pronounced  vertical  lines  requires 
spacious  level  ground  with  a  repetition  of  vertical 
lines  in  tree  trunks.  Vertical  lines  can  be  used 
upon  a  hill  or  bluff  only  when  they  are  subordi- 
nated to  pronounced  horizontal  lines.  A  long, 
horizontal  line  expresses  stability  and  conforms 
better  to  the  character  of  a  bluff  or  to  the  flatness 
of  a  plain. 

A  dwelling  exposed  on  all  sides  must  be  inter- 
esting and  presentable  from  every  point  of  view, 


Il8  Home  Planning 

having  no  "back."  Simplicity  and  the  effect  of 
strength  are  essential.  It  is  not  enough  for  a  wall 
to  be  strong;  it  must  look  strong.  In  other  words, 
it  must  be  well-outlined  in  long  unbroken  lines 
extending  to  well-proportioned  eaves.  If  the  main 
outlines  and  proportions  of  the  house  are  bad,  no 
amount  of  ornament  will  hide  the  ugliness  of  the 
design.  There  should  be  an  entire  absence  of 
applied  ornaments,  by  which  is  meant  features 
which  are  introduced  only  for  effect,  with  no  struc- 
tural significance.  If  decoration  is  used,  though 
it  may  be  safely  omitted,  it  must  rise  directly  out 
of  the  structural  lines  of  the  house.  The  sacrificing 
of  permanent  principle  to  temporary  fashion  will 
in  a  short  time  cause  depreciation  in  value.  Many 
modern  houses  are  soon  left  vacant  because  they 
are  built  after  a  caprice  of  fashion  and  not  from 
principle. 

The  next  important  feature  after  the  general 
proportions  of  the  body  in  relation  to  the  roof,  is 
the  entrance,  which  must  express  hospitality.  No 
matter  how  plain  or  how  small  the  house,  the 
doorway  must  receive  considerable  attention.  It 
has  the  first  claim  to  adornment  and  gives  the  key- 


The  Appearance  of  the  House  IIQ 

note  to  the  whole  design.  It  may  be  plain,  but  it 
must  be  prominent,  well-proportioned,  and  digni- 
fied, and  must  be  in  harmony  with  the  rest  of  the 
house.  The  use  of  steps  as  a  means  of  approach 
to  a  doorway  adds  dignity  and  prominence.  With- 
out steps  it  would  be  difficult  to  make  an  entrance 
express  all  that  is  expected  of  it.  Sometimes  a  porch 
serves  as  a  direct  passageway  to  the  entrance,  as  in 
second  house,  Plate  XIII.  The  approach  to  the  first 
house,  Plate  XIII,  is  placed  at  the  end  of  the  porch 
so  that  the  covered  space  in  front  of  the  entrance 
door  can  be  used  for  chairs,  table,  and  swing, 
instead  of  being  used  as  a  passageway.  The  other 
end  of  the  porch  is  an  open  terrace  which  admits 
ample  light  into  the  living-room.  Some  entrance 
doors  are  treated  like  a  range  of  windows,  the  only 
difference  to  be  seen  being  that  the  central  one  is 
continued  to  the  floor.  The  danger  in  choosing 
this  type  of  entrance  lies  in  the  superabundance  of 
glass,  for  a  door  should  express  privacy  and  pro- 
tection. A  cottage  with  a  smaller  door  may  be 
given  a  charm  of  its  own  by  placing  above  it  a 
simple  hood  which  serves  as  a  protection  from  sun- 
shine or  rain.  The  design  of  some  entrances 


I2O  Home  Planning 

includes  the  door,  the  porch,  and  the  windows 
above,  which  together  form  one  complete  unit  and 
are  the  dominant  feature  of  the  exterior  of  the 
entire  house.  When  the  windows  directly  above 
the  entrance  are  not  planned  to  be  in  harmony 
with  the  entrance,  they  become  the  discordant  fac- 
tor of  the  exterior.  The  doorway  must  be  kept  in 
keeping  with  the  style  of  the  house.  A  colonial 
doorway  is  not  suited  to  the  craftsman's  house  or 
vice  versa.  There  must  be  fitness  in  the  style  of 
the  door  and  its  relation  to  the  house.  A  study  of 
doorways  of  early  colonial  houses  with  their  slender 
graceful  columns  or  fluted  pilasters,  pointed  or 
curved  pediments,  broad,  well-proportioned  mould- 
ings, and  well-spaced  panels  helps  one  to  appreciate 
beauty  and  purity  of  line  and  finer  proportion. 

Windows  require  attention  to  the  demands  of 
the  interior  as  well  as  to  the  appearance  of  the  exte- 
rior. While  the  chief  requirement  is  sufficient 
light  and  air,  it  is  as  easy  to  over-light  as  to  under- 
light  a  room.  The  grouping  of  windows  aids  in 
the  concentration  and  distribution  of  light  and  pre- 
vents cross-lights,  which  are  detrimental  to  people 
as  well  as  to  pictures  and  furnishings.  By  the 


The  Appearance  of  the  House  121 

massing  of  windows,  larger  areas  of  wall-space 
are  gained,  thus  adding  to  the  appearance  of  both 
interior  and  exterior.  Casement  windows  are  well 
adapted  to  grouping  and  concentrating,  and  in  some 
houses  are  more  desirable  than  single  double- 
sashed  windows.  The  double-sash  windows,  when 
used  in  regular  grouping,  should  be  tall  and  narrow 
to  be  well-proportioned.  When  used  singly,  they 
break  the  wall  into  too  many  small  spaces.  French 
windows  and  doors  are  useful,  for  they  make  an 
easy  approach  and  command  good  views.  On  the 
other  hand,  they  admit  draughts  and  quantities  of 
light  to  that  part  of  the  room  that  should  be  kept 
warm  and  quiet,  the  floor.  A  good  plan  in  the 
arrangement  of  windows  in  any  house  is  to  reserve 
one  space  for  the  principle  group  of  windows, 
usually  those  of  the  living  room,  and  to  keep  all 
others  in  the  house  subordinated. 

There  should  be  evenness  in  the  height  of  win- 
dows on  each  floor,  though  they  may  vary  in  length 
along  the  lower  line.  Where  it  is  possible,  a  rela- 
tively uniform  size  of  windows  should  be  kept 
throughout  the  building.  The  harmony  and  sym- 
metry are  lost  when  windows  of  various  sizes  and 


122  Home  Planning 

irregular  shapes  are  used.  If  the  wall  space 
between  windows  seems  barren  and  empty,  it  can 
be  relieved  by  the  use  of  shutters.  It  is  true,  these 
add  to  the  cost,  but  they  often  add  to  the  con- 
venience, shelter,  and  comfort  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  hanging  of  casement  windows  is  important. 
Three  things  are  essential:  ventilation  of  the  room, 
resistance  to  the  elements,  and  hanging  of  blinds. 
The  double-sash  window  is  in  two  parts,  sliding  up 
and  down  by  means  of  pulleys  and  weights,  and 
requiring  heavy  mullions.  For  convenience  in  use, 
simplicity  in  construction,  and  artistic  arrangement, 
casement  windows  are  most  desirable,  when  side- 
hung  and  opening  out.  They  require  no  weights 
to  balance,  and  thus  make  possible  the  use  of  very 
slender  mullions  which  add  to  the  artistic  effect 
if  the  windows  are  arranged  in  groups.  When 
they  open  outward  they  act  as  a  screen  to  catch 
and  deflect  a  breeze.  The  entire  window  is  avail- 
able for  ventilation,  if  desired,  doubling  the  amount 
the  double-sash  window  furnishes. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  window  panes  of 
medium  size  are  more  satisfactory  than  many  small 
panes  or  one  large  one.  The  chief  objection  to  many 


The  Appearance  of  the  House  123 

panes  is  the  divisional  bars,  which  interfere  with 
the  view,  diminish  the  light,  and  make  difficult 
the  work  of  cleansing.  Very  large  panes  of  glass 
look  heavy  and  uninteresting,  and  give  a  feeling 
of  lack  of  protection. 

The  proportion  of  the  roof  that  is  seen  is  deter- 
mined by  the  pitch  and  must  be  considered  in 
relation  to  the  width  and  height  of  the  walls.  The 
long  slope  of  the  roof  of  some  bungalows  over- 
balances the  facade  of  the  house.  Too  small  a 
proportion  of  roof  to  the  facade  is  rarely  seen. 
Simple,  unbroken  roofs  of  good  proportion  are  more 
beautiful  than  roofs  broken  by  windows  or  dormers, 
many  elaborate  gables,  and  expensive  hips  and  val- 
leys. These  latter  entail  increased  labor  and  mate- 
rial, and  constantly  need  repairs,  since  it  is  difficult 
to  build  them  waterproof.  Nothing  should  be 
permitted  to  complicate  the  construction  of  the  roof. 
The  appearance  of  the  roof  depends  somewhat 
upon  the  ridge,  and  for  this  reason,  effort  should 
be  made  to  secure  a  good  sky  line,  which  excludes 
all  sharp  angles,  abrupt  changes  in  direction,  and 
ornamentation.  Wide  eaves  well-proportioned  give 
shadows  and  are  desirable  for  protection  from  sun- 
shine and  rain. 


PLATE   XVI 


The  Appearance  of  the  House  12$ 

A  bold,  solid  chimney  stack  well  placed  adds  to 
the  appearance  of  the  skyline,  and  makes  a  marked 
difference  in  the  appearance  of  the  house.  From 
a  distance  the  silhouette  of  the  roof  and  the  chim- 
ney is  practically  all  that  is  seen.  In  so  small 
a  house  as  is  here  considered,  there  can  be  but  one 
chimney,  which  must  be  placed  near  the  center  of 
the  house.  However,  it  may  have  several  flues  to 
do  service  not  only  for  the  furnace  and  kitchen, 
but  for  the  open  fire-place,  if  there  be  one.  Eco- 
nomically, one  central  stack  is  best  for  heating  pur- 
poses, for  cost  of  construction  and  building  mate- 
rials, and  for  artistic  effect. 

The  question  of  kind  of  material  to  be  used  is 
easily  disposed  of,  since  the  construction  of  con- 
crete or  brick  is  out  of  the  reach  of  anyone  with 
so  limited  a  sum  of  money  to  spend  as  that  specified. 
In  some  localities,  frame  construction  or  part  timber 
and  plaster  is  least  expensive  and  is  therefore 
chosen.  One  material  should  predominate.  The 
effect  of  elevation  where  many  different  materials 
are  employed  is  unrestful  and  inartistic.  The  use 
of  timber  or  plaster  for  the  walls,  and  another 
material  for  the  roof  gives  sufficient  variety.  When 


126  Home  Planning 

a  veneer  of  red  brick  below,  timber  and  a  patch  of 
plaster  above,  concrete  porch  with  wooden  columns, 
and  shingles  are  used  in  same  building,  the  unity 
of  the  whole  is  lost.  In  the  first  house,  Plate  XIII, 
the  exterior  should  be  rough  in  texture.  It  may 
be  constructed  of  wide  siding  with  the  rough  side 
out  or  of  shingles,  and  may  be  stained  either  warm 
brown  or  silver  grey.  The  exterior  of  the  second 
house,  Plate  XIII,  can  be  of  either  stucco  or  siding 
painted  white,  with  green  shutters  and  roof. 

In  working  out  his  individual  problem,  the  stu- 
dent begins  by  determining  the  character  and  style 
of  his  house.  He  should  choose  the  design  and 
material  suited  to  the  locality,  but  it  should  in  no 
way  conform  to  the  ugliness  which  may  prevail 
there.  Following  such  suggestions  as  are  to  be 
found  in  the  best  books,  magazines,  and  good 
photographs,  a  student  may  make  perspective  draw- 
ings or  elevations  of  his  house  in  its  actual  setting, 
in  whatever  medium  is  best  suited  to  his  purpose, 
that  is,  in  lead  pencil,  pen  and  ink,  colored  crayons, 
or  water-colors.  In  these  drawings  every  law  of 
balance  and  good  spacing  essential  to  structural 
beauty  must  be  emphasized. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

COMPACT  ARRANGEMENT:    A  SURVEY 

The  fascinating  prob- 
lem of  making  floor 
plans  calls  for  fore- 
sight and  thorough 
understanding  of  the 
requirements  of  the 
every  day  life  of  the 
family  which  is  to  live 
in  the  house.  The  con- 
venience of  a  house  in 
which  the  mistress  and 
maid  are  one  depends 
upon  compact  arrangement,  which  is  essential  for 
heating  purposes  and  for  economy  in  construction, 
and  at  the  same  time  upon  the  avoidance  of  an 
awkward  or  cramped  arrangement  of  rooms.  The 
judicious  placing  of  partitions  and  stairways,  the 
concentrating  of  flues,  the  doing  away  with  all 
needless  passages,  the  skillful  and  economic  arrange- 
ment of  rooms,  and  the  securing  of  thoroughfares 
for  convenience  and  comfort,  all  require  the  deep- 

127 


128  Home  Planning 

est  thought  and  consideration.  Every  foot  of  space 
must  be  assigned  to  a  use  which  can  not  be  so  well 
served  by  any  other  apportionment. 

Some  published  plans  make  no  provision  for  any- 
thing but  the  construction  of  the  house,  thus  leaving 
the  house  only  a  skeleton  when  completed.  With 
keen  disappointment  the  owner  is  compelled  to  sup- 
ply furnace,  electric  wiring,  fixtures  and  bells,  gas 
piping,  plumbing  and  drain  pipes,  equipment  for 
the  bath  and  kitchen,  screens,  cistern,  sidewalks, 
fences,  and  grading  of  the  yard.  In  order  that  no 
essential  equipment  may  be  overlooked,  the  neces- 
sary requirements  of  each  room  should  be  itemized 
before  the  floor  plans  are  begun. 

An  ideal  plan  for  even  so  small  and  so  simple 
a  house  is  a  complex  one,  for  the  scheme  of  the 
house  as  a  whole  must  be  kept  in  mind.  A  square, 
compact  house  or  one  rectangular,  nearly  square, 
having  five  or  six  rooms  is  most  desirable  from  the 
viewpoint  of  economy,  convenience,  and  heating. 
The  house  must  be  so  placed  on  the  lot  as  to  secure 
privacy,  to  command  views,  and  to  admit  light  and 
air  into  the  largest  number  of  rooms.  Settings  that 
are  picturesque  require  a  plan  that  utilizes  to  the 


Compact  Arrangement  I2Q 

best  advantage  the  natural  beauty  of  the  ground. 
In  order  that  the  living-room  may  command  the 
best  view,  the  kitchen  may  be  faced  toward  the 
street.  There  must  be  no  "backs"  to  the  house,  nor 
should  there  be  a  "line  up"  with  the  houses  of 
the  neighborhood  unless  there  is  a  distinct  advan- 
tage to  be  gained  in  doing  so. 

The  division  of  spaces  in  the  floor  plan  requires 
a  careful  adjustment  of  the  proportions  to  fit  the 
specific  purpose  of  each  room,  and  to  conform  to 
its  relation  to  the  other  rooms.  There  is  economy 
in  choosing  stock  lengths  and  sizes  in  the  timbers 
of  a  room,  which  economy  need  in  no  way  detract 
from  the  appearance  of  the  house.  Floor  joists  and 
rafters  are  obtainable  in  14'-,  16'-,  and  18'-lengths, 
and  rooms  and  roofs  should  be  planned  to  these 
dimensions  to  prevent  waste  in  cutting.  The  same 
advantage  is  gained  in  choosing  stock  sizes  in  doors 
and  windows,  without  in  any  way  sacrificing  artistic 
merit. 

The  entrance  has  its  influence  upon  the  aspect 
of  the  house.  It  may  repel,  invite,  or  display  osten- 
tation. It  admits  heat,  cold,  sunshine,  and  storm 
alike.  For  these  reasons  a  small  vestibule  or  pas- 


Home  Planning 

sageway  with  sufficient  space  to  pass  through, 
though  not  to  tarry  in,  is  desirable,  for  it  serves  as 
a  transition  from  the  outside  to  the  inside  without 
waste  of  floor  space. 

The  living  room  is  the  most  important  room  in 
the  house,  and  should  be  the  most  cheerful  and 
inviting.  The  modern  living  room  abolishes  the 
parlor,  the  sitting  room,  and  the  long  dark  passage- 
way known  as  a  hall,  with  its  cramped  stairway. 
It  is  a  room  in  which  the  family  gathers  for  recrea- 
tion, for  quiet,  or  for  good  comradeship.  The  living 
room  should  be  well  supplied  with  windows 
grouped  for  the  concentration  and  distribution  of 
light  in  such  a  way  as  to  keep  the  lower  part  of 
the  room  in  shadow,  to  prevent  the  crossing  and 
recrossing  of  lights,  and  at  the  same  time  to  leave 
plenty  of  wall-space  for  pictures  and  large  pieces 
of  furniture.  The  windows  of  this  room  should 
be  the  dominant  windows  of  the  house  and  should 
be  so  placed  as  to  command  vistas  and  good  venti- 
lation. This  sometimes  makes  an  enormous  differ- 
ence in  the  cheerfulness  and  artistic  effect  of  the 
house.  The  living  room  fireplace  should  be  ample 
and  well-located,  near  the  center  of  one  wall,  and 


Compact  Arrangement 

may  be  flanked  OR  either  side  by  bookcases.  If 
placed  in  or  near  a  corner,  it  loses  its  charm,  and 
appears  not  to  be  an  organic  part  of  the  room.  If 
one  chimney  with  several  flues  must  serve  for  all 
purposes,  it  should  be  central  and  should  be 
studied  in  connection  with  the  kitchen  as  well  as 
the  living  room. 

The  placing  of  the  pantry  for  convenience  be- 
tween the  dining  room  and  kitchen  saves  steps  and 
prevents  the  odors  of  cooking  from  penetrating  into 
the  house.  For  obvious  reasons  the  dining  room 
should  be  easily  accessible  from  the  living  room.  It 
must  be  large  enough  to  allow  easy  passage  around 
a  large,  long  table  and  to  accommodate  any  heavy 
furniture  that  may  be  in  the  room.  The  grouping 
of  windows  adds  cheerfulness  to  the  room.  This 
room  may  be  shut  off  from  the  living  room  by  a 
pair  of  glass  doors. 

The  kitchen  placed  in  a  corner  of  the  house  with 
door  and  windows  at  right  angles  gives  cross  venti- 
lation, which  reduces  the  heat  and  carries  off  the 
odors  of  cooking.  The  kitchen  is  the  work  shop 
and  should  be  convenient  and  sanitary.  The  placing 
of  the  stove  near  a  window  with  the  sink  and  drain- 


Home  Planning 

ing  board  at  right  angles  to  it  and  with  shelves 
within  easy  reach  adds  to  the  ease  and  comfort  of 
preparing  meals.  Most  kitchens  have  neither 
enough  light  nor  cupboard  space.  There  should 
be  two  good  cupboards  with  narrow  shelves,  for 
deep  ones  hide  needed  articles.  A  small  kitchen 
10'  by  10'  is  desirable  for  a  family  of  five,  and 
one  of  12'  by  12'  for  a  larger  family.  Plainness, 
simplicity,  convenience,  and  compactness  are  to  be 
sought  in  this  room,  where  most  of  the  heavy  work 
is  done. 

Doors  need  to  be  placed  to  give  convenient  access 
to  thoroughfares  and  to  serve  as  a  means  of  ventila- 
tion, and  must  avoid  striking  each  other,  the  fire- 
place, or  any  piece  of  furniture.  Doors  in  the 
pantry  should  not  be  directly  opposite  each  other. 
It  is  desirable  sometimes  to  hinge  a  door  so  as  to 
screen  the  larger  half  of  the  room.  The  doors  in 
the  house  should  be  limited  in  number  and  should 
open  clear  of  the  main  portion  of  the  room,  leaving 
the  larger  amount  of  wall-space  unbroken.  The 
large  unbroken  areas  of  a  room  add  dignity  and 
give  an  impression  of  roominess. 

Since  stairways  are  a  most  important  means  of 


Compact  Arrangement  133 

communication,  considerable  attention  should  be 
given  to  their  placing,  breadth,  and  accessibility, 
if  both  comfort  and  beauty  are  to  be  assured.  The 
placing  of  stairs  without  wasting  space  or  cramping 
is  not  always  an  easy  task.  They  may  lead  out  of 
a  living  room  in  a  picturesque  and  convenient  man- 
ner, or  from  the  vestibule,  or  from  a  corridor 
between  the  living  room  and  dining  room.  They 
should  be  neither  narrow  nor  steep.  A  shallow 
riser  with  a  tread  twice  its  width  keeps  the  stride 
nearly  equal  and  natural.  A  landing  adds  to  the 
ease  of  the  ascent.  It  is  desirable  for  the  upper 
end  of  the  stairs  to  open  near  the  center  of  the 
second  floor  into  a  small  corridor  connecting  all 
the  rooms  with  the  bath.  This  reduces  the  amount 
of  waste  space  which  is  sometimes  found  in  an  up- 
stairs corridor  when  the  stairs  open  at  one  end  of 
the  building. 

The  partitions  of  the  second  floor  should  be 
directly  above  those  of  the  first  floor  wherever 
it  is  possible  to  place  them  there.  A  bedroom 
need  not  be  large,  but  should  be  sufficiently  so  to 
contain  necessary  furniture.  It  should  be  well- 
ventilated  with  a  concentration  of  windows  for 


Home  Planning 

sunshine  and  air,  and  should  have  sufficient  wall- 
space  lengths  for  the  furniture  necessary  for  the 
convenience  of  the  occupant.  The  bed  is  the  domi- 
nant factor  and  may  be  shown  in  the  plan,  with 
wall-space  parallel  to  its  width  and  length.  The 
placing  of  the  chimney  near  the  center  of  the  house 
throws  the  flues  in  the  corners  of  upstairs  rooms, 
thus  making  it  possible  to  provide  ample  closets 
along  the  inside  walls,  equal  in  width  to  the  chim- 
ney. Where  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  a  small  window 
should  be  placed  in  a  closet  for  ventilation  and 
light 

The  bathroom  may  be  small  and  compact,  but 
large  enough  for  easy  movement.  The  location  of 
the  tub,  stool,  and  washstand,  with  a  shallow  cup- 
board for  toilet  articles,  completes  the  plan  for  the 
bathroom. 

In  making  plans  for  the  first  and  second  floors,  as 
well  as  for  the  basement  and  attic,  allowance  should 
be  made  for  the  thickness  of  outside  walls,  the  par- 
titions, the  stairways,  and  the  chimney.  These  should 
be  thoughtfully  developed  and  drawn  to  scale.  Pro- 
vision should  be  made  for  any  built-in  furniture, 
such  as  book  shelves,  seats,  cupboards,  or  buffets. 


Compact  Arrangement 

The  main  outline  will  be  found  susceptible  of 
infinite  variations  and  modifications  suited  to  differ- 
ent requirements  and  conditions. 

The  floor  plan,  Plate  XV,  is  for  the  first  house,* 
Plate  XIII,  and  has  been  simplified  in  every  way 
to  reduce  cost.  This  house  has  been  well  built  for 
$3,500.00.  The  price  includes  a  good  furnace  and 
good  plumbing,  wiring,  electrical  fixtures,  and 
screens;  a  cellar  under  the  entire  house  and  a  good 
floored  attic;  oak  floors,  and  fumed  oak  finish  for 
the  woodwork  of  the  first  floor  in  the  main  hall  and 
living  room  and  dining  room;  and  yellow  pine  and 
red  gum  woodwork  for  the  second  floor,  with  floors 
of  finished  pine.  This  plan  has  some  advantages 
worth  noting.  The  main  entrance  leads  into  a  hall, 
and  the  front  door  can  be  reached  directly  from  the 
kitchen,  which  is  shut  off  by  two  doors  in  a  side 
hall  so  that  odors  from  cooking  cannot  enter  the 
main  part  of  the  house.  This  side  hall  contains  a 
coat  closet  easy  of  access  from  the  main  hall,  and 
has  a  stairway  to  the  basement.  There  is  also  an 
outside  door  so  that  the  laundry  or  ashes  from  the 
basement  may  be  taken  directly  into  the  yard. 

The  entrance  from  the  kitchen  to  the  dining  room 

*Courtesy  of  Lee  Burns. 


Home  Planning 

is  through  a  serving  pantry,  which  contains  cases 
for  china  and  glassware  and  a  large  serving  shelf, 
below  which  are  drawers  for  silver  and  table  linen. 
By  a  slight  change  in  arrangement  an  ice  box  can 
be  put  in  this  pantry  in  such  a  way  that  the  box 
may  be  filled  through  a  door  opening  from  the 
rear  porch.  The  kitchen  has  two  closets,  the  smaller 
of  which  can  be  used  for  brooms,  mops,  table-leaves, 
etc.,  while  the  larger  serves  as  a  pot  closet.  The 
dining  and  living  rooms  are  of  good  size,  with 
good  wall  spaces  for  furniture  and  pictures.  Three 
bed-rooms  on  the  second  floor  are  of  good  size,  with 
closet  arrangements  carefully  worked  out,  the  main 
room  having  two.  A  linen  closet  is  placed  at  the 
end  of  the  hall,  and  a  small  closet  in  the  bath  room 
larger  than  the  usual  medicine  cabinet  is  an  unusual 
convenience  for  such  a  house.  A  sleeping  porch 
could  be  built  over  the  serving  pantry  and  back 
porch  with  little  additional  expense.  Care  has  been 
used  in  the  placing  of  doors  and  windows  through- 
out the  house.  The  floor  of  the  attic  is  entirely 
finished,  making  the  house  warmer  in  winter  and 
cooler  in  summer  than  it  would  otherwise  be.  The 
attic  thus  furnishes  considerable  space  for  storage, 


Compact  Arrangement 

and  has  windows  at  either  end  for  light  and  ven- 
tilation. 

Sound  construction  is  essential.  The  true  test  of 
economy  will  be  shown  in  the  absence  of  repairs. 
Inferior  construction  is  only  temporary.  In  most 
localities  it  is  cheaper  to  build  up  than  to  spread 
over  a  large  area,  for  the  masonry  of  the  foundation 
and  the  roofing  are  the  heaviest  items  of  expense. 
The  cost  of  building  materials  changes  with  each 
season  and  with  different  localities,  and  the  price 
of  labor  varies  considerably,  but  an  approximate 
cost  can  be  found,  and  with  sufficient  accuracy  to 
make  it  possible  for  one  to  keep  well  within  the  sum 
he  has  to  spend.  One  method  of  estimating  the 
cost  of  a  house  is  based  on  the  cubic  contents  of 
the  house.  Figure  the  height  from  the  basement 
floor  half  way  through  the  attic,  and  count  porches 
at  one-fourth  of  their  cubic  contents.  On  this  basis 
the  first  house,  Plate  XIII,  would  contain  27,000 
cubic  feet,  which  at  13  cents  a  foot  makes  a  total 
cost  of  $3,500.00.  This  is  a  low  price  per  foot. 
The  average  cost  per  foot  over  the  country  will 
be  several  cents  higher.  Another  way  to  secure  an 
approximate  estimate  is  to  obtain  separate  estimates 


Home  Planning 

from  two  reliable  contractors  who  have  made  care- 
ful calculations  of  the  entire  cost  of  the  building 
and  have  found  the  average  per  room.  In  central 
Indiana,  a  plain,  substantial  house  may  be  built 
for  an  average  per  room  of  $425.00,  allowing 
$500.00  for  each  bath  and  kitchen.  This  includes 
everything  from  the  foundation  to  the  finished 
painted  house. 

A  plan  for  the  garden  or  door  yard  should  not 
be  neglected.  There  should  be  no  stereotyped 
designs,  but  there  should  be  order  and  system  to 
produce  unity.  The  controlling  factor  in  the  plan- 
ning should  be  an  effort  to  make  the  most  of  the 
natural  and  picturesque  features  of  the  land.  The 
most  picturesque  gardens  are  never  all  visible  from 
one  point  of  view,  but  consist  of  parts  screened 
by  shrubs,  bushes,  or  vine-covered  trellises,  each 
part  different  in  character  from  the  other.  It  is 
safer  to  use  a  curved  line  than  a  straight  one  in 
paths  and  lines  of  shrubbery.  Straight  lines  lead 
the  eye  directly  to  the  destination  and  appear  to 
shorten  spaces,  while  curved  lines  always  suggest 
distance.  In  a  small  garden  an  effort  should  be 
made  to  secure  the  effect  of  spaciousness.  The 


PLATE   XVII 


Home  Planning 

Japanese  can  teach  us  much  in  the  way  of  garden 
planning.  In  Japan  the  working  classes  have  10' 
by  12'  yards,  which  they  transform  into  gardens 
suggestive  of  vast  spaces.  There  is  no  point  on 
which  the  eye  fastens,  no  dominant  form  to  attract 
or  hold  attention,  and  this  very  absence  of  any- 
thing striking  gives  a  feeling  of  boundlessness. 
They  use  a  broad  scheme  of  infinite  detail,  some- 
times embodying  a  tiny  mountain  with  a  tiny  lake 
at  its  base,  and  a  bridge  over  a  tiny  brook,  in  the 
waters  of  which  flash  tiny  gold  fish.  Stepping 
stones  well-selected  and  carefully  placed  lead  to 
another  interesting  part,  while  a  winding  path, 
partly  concealed,  leads  to  dwarfed  pines.  So  the 
eye  is  led  from  one  thing  to  another,  resting  at  no 
point,  and  the  beholder  has  a  sense  of  vastness  and 
serenity.  In  this  plan  are  many  valuable  lessons. 
We  need  not  copy  their  gardens  bodily,  but  we 
should  study  them  for  their  admirable  following 
of  fixed  principles,  especially  in  avoiding  straight 
lines,  planting  in  masses,  conserving  open  spaces, 
and  avoiding  points  of  dominance. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

WOOD-FINISH 


Before  the  real 
problem  of  apply- 
ing p  r  i  n  c  i  p  les 
which  govern 
good  taste  in  the 
arrangement  of  a 
home  can  be 
solved,  the  prepa- 
ration, color,  and 
finish  of  the  wood 
must  be  studied. 
No  part  of  the 
modern,  inexpensive  home  is  more  abused  than  the 
wood-trim,  for  not  infrequently  one  finds  all  the 
natural  beauty  of  the  grain  lost  in  an  overdose  of 
stain,  paint,  varnish,  or  shellac.  The  wood-finish 
of  any  home  should  be  quiet  and  unobtrusive,  and 
never  self-assertive. 

The  purpose  of  finish  is  to  produce  color  and  to 
preserve  the  wood.  Wood  may  be  finished  in  many 
ways, — by  the  use  of  paint,  stains,  fillers,  wax,  and 

141 


1 42  Home  Planning 

varnish.  A  series  of  experiments  will  aid  in  dis- 
covering the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  the 
various  finishes.  Paints,  which  are  formed  of  cer- 
tain ingredients  that  give  color,  body,  and  opacity, 
produce  a  hard  surface  which  adheres  to  the  wood 
and  protects  it,  making  it  impervious  to  moisture. 
Some  paints  have  a  dull  finish,  while  others  give 
a  glossy  surface.  The  wood  should  be  carefully 
prepared,  that  is,  well-dressed  and  sandpapered  to 
a  satin  finish.  New  woods  require  two  thin  coats 
and  a  third  one  for  the  finish.  Unless  the  wood- 
work in  a  house  is  beautiful  in  color  and  grain,  it 
is  better  not  to  leave  it  in  its  natural  state,  but  to 
paint  it  in  modified  hues,  avoiding  always  pro- 
nounced colors  or  cold  greys. 

The  purpose  of  stains  is  to  change  the  natural 
color  of  the  wood,  sometimes  slightly  and  some- 
times radically,  but  always  transparently.  There 
are  four  kinds  of  stains:  oil,  water,  and  spirit,  and 
a  fourth  produced  by  chemical  change.  The 
advantage  of  oil  stain  is  that  it  is  easily  made  and 
applied,  and  does  not  raise  the  grain  of  the  wood. 
Colors  may  be  mixed  to  obtain  any  hue.  There  is 
considerable  waste  in  the  use  of  oil  stains.  To 


Wood  Finish  143 

produce  the  right  color  and  retain  the  texture  of 
the  wood,  it  is  necessary  to  put  the  stain  on  and 
wipe  it  off  at  once.  When  oil  stain  is  put  on  and 
allowed  to  remain,  the  grain  of  the  wood  is  lost  and 
the  appearance  is  that  of  paint  rather  than  of  stain. 

Water  stains  penetrate  the  wood  deeply  and  are 
transparent  and  inexpensive,  but  they  are  difficult  to 
apply  easily  and  they  fade  easily  and  raise  the  grain 
of  the  wood.  Water  stains  are  made  from  powdered 
forms  of  analine  and  vegetable  dyes  mixed  with 
hot  water.  An  excellent  mahogany  stain  may  be 
made  from  an  old  formula  of  seal  brown  diamond 
dye  and  hot  wTater.  In  order  to  prevent  any  evi- 
dence of  overlapping  it  is  necessary  that  the  surface 
to  be  covered  be  thoroughly  wet  with  water  before 
any  application  is  made. 

Spirit  stains  are  easily  applied  but  are  not  per- 
manent. They  are  made  by  cutting  the  analine 
dyes  in  alcohol  and  naphtha.  The  knowledge 
gained  in  the  study  of  the  theory  of  color  of  the 
effect  one  color  has  in  counteracting  another,  may 
be  applied  here.  For  example,  yellow  pine  is 
never  stained  transparently  with  any  degree  of  suc- 
cess, and  the  natural  color  of  the  wood  is  ugly. 


Home  Planning 

The  orange-yellow  in  the  pine  may  be  counteracted 
by  blue  in  the  stain.  Many  interesting  experiments 
in  changing  the  color  and  retaining  the  grain  of 
the  wood  may  be  made  with  spirit  stains. 

Most  woods  contain  a  kind  of  acid  which  is 
characteristic  of  the  natural  condition  of  the  wood. 
When  this  acid  comes  in  contact  with  an  outside 
acid,  a  chemical  change  takes  place.  The  process 
of  fuming  penetrates  the  entire  thickness  of  the 
wood,  and  the  color  of  the  wood  changes  perma- 
nently. It  is  possible  to  watch  the  process  of 
fuming  wood  when  various  kinds  of  woods  are 
suspended  above  a  vessel  filled  with  strong 
ammonia,  all  in  a  large,  airtight  glass  vessel.  The 
fumes  of  the  ammonia  ascend  and  penetrate  the 
wood  thoroughly.  White,  red,  burr,  quarter-sawed, 
or  plain  oak  change  to  a  deep  rich  brown.  In 
fumed  oak  the  color  is  richer  and  the  flecks  of 
wood  are  lost  in  the  color;  in  stained  oak  the  flecks 
resist  the  color  and  remain  light,  while  the  grain 
absorbs  the  color,  making  an  uneven  tone.  Mahog- 
any, walnut,  chestnut,  and  cherry  change  by  this 
process  to  different  degrees  of  a  deep,  mellow  color 
such  as  can  otherwise  be  obtained  only  by  old  age. 


Wood  Finish  14$ 

It  gives  a  mellowness  of  color  which  no  manufac- 
tured stain  ever  produces.  Red  gum  changes 
slightly,  producing  a  warm  medium  grey,  impossi- 
ble to  produce  by  the  use  of  stains.  Another  way 
to  produce  chemical  change  is  to  use  bichlorate  of 
potash  dissolved  in  hot  water  and  applied  to  the 
satin  surface  of  the  wood,  hot  acid  penetrating 
deeper  than  cold.  Sulphuric  acid  applied  to  the 
surface  of  cypress  wood  eats  into  the  grain  in  much 
the  same  manner  as  that  in  which  acid  eats  into 
metal  in  etching,  thus  emphasizing  its  outline. 
This  finish  is  suitable  only  for  public  places,  not 
for  homes. 

Fillers  smooth  the  surface  of  coarse  grain. 
Unless  mixed  with  colors  they  leave  the  flecks  of 
light  over  the  surface  of  grain,  which  is  often 
offensive.  Wax  is  a  preservative  and  leaves  a 
desirable  dull  finish.  One  disadvantage  is  that  it 
leaves  a  soft  surface  to  which  dust  readily  adheres 
and  which  will  eventually  wash  off.  Shellac  pro- 
duces a  hard  surface  and  is  desirable  when  well- 
rubbed  down  with  old  sandpaper  and  powdered 
pumice  stone  till  it  gives  a  dull,  smooth  surface. 
Observation  shows  that  while  varnish  preserves  the 


PLATE   XVIII 


Wood  Finish  147 

color  and  grain,  it  also  produces  glittering  masses 
of  high-lights  which  call  attention  to  lines,  grains, 
and  spots  which  should  be  obscured.  In  recent 
years  experiments  have  led  to  the  discovery  of  a 
dull  mat  finish  in  varnish,  which  can  be  obtained 
at  most  paint  shops. 

Some  woods  do  not  need  stains.  To  stain  them 
is  to  forfeit  the  beauty  of  their  natural  color  and 
grain.  Walnut,  red  gum,  mahogany,  and  cherry 
are  most  beautiful  in  their  natural  state,  with  many 
coats  of  dull  finish  of  wax  or  shellac.  Most  mahog- 
any furniture  and  finish  is  stained,  and  many  woods 
are  substituted  for  mahogany.  Birch,  a  hard,  white, 
close  grained  wood,  when  stained  can  scarcely  be 
distinguished  from  mahogany.  Furniture  made 
from  stained  birch  is  comparatively  inexpensive. 
Red  gum  is  substituted  for  Circassian  walnut  owing 
to  the  remote  and  inaccessible  districts  from  which 
the  latter  comes.  Oak  can  be  stained  many  colors 
— golden,  weathered,  old  English,  Flemish  (black), 
and  malachite  green.  Very  dark  wood  makes  a 
room  dreary  and  disagreeable  unless  brilliant  scin- 
tillating colors  are  used  in  decorations.  Ash  and 
chestnut  are  similar  to  oak  in  grain  and  are  some- 


1 48  Home  Planning 

times  substituted  for  it.  Elm  and  white  gum,  firm, 
white,  and  almost  grainless,  are  substituted  for  oak 
by  means  of  a  process  of  a  machine-printed  imita- 
tion of  the  grain  and  color  of  oak.  In  preparing 
wood  for  the  home,  every  effort  should  be  made  to 
obtain  a  color  which  is  neutral  and  which  preserves 
any  desirable  quality  that  the  real  wood  may  possess. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES  I 


The  interior  of  the 
home  is  the  seat  of 
the  real  problem,  the 
place  where  the  fine, 
restraining  hand  of 
the  homemaker  must 
have  free  play.  The 
artistic  arrangement 
of  a  home  is  a  prob- 
lem in  design  which 
calls  for  the  prac- 
tical application  of 
principles  of  beauty  to  the  most  familiar  details  of 
domestic  life.  The  furnishing  of  a  room  must  be 
neither  accidental  nor  temporary.  In  spite  of 
changing  styles  or  fancy,  there  must  be  a  permanent 
value  in  the  things  selected  as  well  as  underlying 
principles  of  art  in  arrangement. 

Beauty  is  the  result  of  a  more  or  less  conscious 
obedience  to  law.  Whistler  maintained  that  "the 
fundamental  principles  of  decorative  art  as  in  all 

149 


Home  Planning 

art  are  based  on  laws  as  exact  as  those  known  to 
science,  and  can  be  gotten  only  by  laws  of  balance, 
proportion,  repose,  and  harmony";  that  "art  is  a 
science, — the  science  by  which  the  artist  picks, 
chooses,  and  groups,  that  beauty  may  result.  The 
artist  can  leave  no  more  to  chance  than  can  the 
chemist,  the  botanist,  or  the  biologist."*  With 
these  principles  as  a  basis,  it  is  possible  that  a  home 
of  inexpensive  and  modest  furnishings  may  be  made 
beautiful  and  artistic. 

The  first  step  in  the  production  of  such  a  home 
will  be  an  effort  to  create  on  paper  a  harmonious 
arrangement  of  each  room,  so  that  the  whole  plan 
and  scheme  may  be  thoroughly  thought  out  before 
the  execution  of  it  is  actually  begun.  Wall-eleva- 
tions, which  are  flat  surface  drawings  representing 
the  space  from  floor  to  ceiling  and  from  wall  to 
wall  without  receding  lines,  may  be  made  to  scale. 
The  exact  measurements  as  indicated  in  the  floor 
plans  should  be  accurately  followed  in  placing 
doors,  windows,  and  fireplaces.  The  beauty  of  a 
room  will  depend  upon  the  proportion  of  its  width 

*Elizabeth  and  Joseph  Pennell's  Life  of  James  McNeil  Whistler — 
J.  B.  Lippencott. 


Fundamental  Principles,  I 

and  length  to  its  height,  and  upon  the  balance  of 
empty  spaces  with  the  openings. 

In  these  elevations  the  structural  use  of  horizontal 
and  vertical  lines  in  the  wood-trim  should  be  con- 
sidered. Horizontal  lines  such  as  are  found  in 
base-boards,  plate  or  chair  rails,  picture  mouldings, 
and  beamed  ceilings,  or  in  such  accessories  as  bor- 
ders in  wall  papers  and  curtains,  emphasize  the 
breadth  and  decrease  the  apparent  height  of  a  room. 
Vertical  lines  such  as  are  found  in  pilasters,  tall, 
dignified  door  and  window  casings,  and  paneling, 
or  in  long  straight  lines  of  draperies,  emphasize 
height  at  the  expense  of  width.  The  long  retreating 
lines  of  beamed  ceilings,  seen  in  perspective,  or 
the  crossing  and  recrossing  of  beams  in  the  ceiling 
call  attention  to  a  part  of  the  room  which,  like 
the  floor,  should  be  kept  quiet  and  unobtrusive, 
as  in  Plate  XVII.  The  repetition  of  horizontal 
lines  in  the  wainscoting,  in  the  rows  of  pictures, 
and  in  the  ceiling  in  this  illustration,  decreases  not 
only  the  apparent  breadth  but  the  height  of  the 
room  as  well.  No  matter  how  attractive  the  fur- 
nishing may  be,  when  the  repetition  is  thus  empha- 
sized the  room  has  the  appearance  of  a  box.  The 


I $2  Home  Planning 

height  of  a  long,  low  room  may  be  increased  by  the 
use  of  long  vertical  lines  in  draperies,  by  placing 
the  picture  moulding  at  the  ceiling,  and  by  the 
right  choice  of  wall  papers  in  which  modest  designs 
run  perpendicularly,  not  diagonally. 

Four  essential  things  are  to  be  considered  in  the 
arrangement  of  every  room:  (1)  the  center  of 
interest,  (2)  the  arrangement  of  the  furniture,  (3) 
the  balance  of  pictures  with  empty  wall-spaces,  and 
(4)  harmonious  color.  Beginning  with  the  living 
room,  which  is  the  largest,  most  cheerful,  and  most 
inviting  room  in  the  house,  the  first  consideration 
will  be  to  provide  for  the  use  of  the  room  and  for 
the  many  types  of  furniture  necessary  for  the  com- 
fort, occupations,  and  varying  tastes  of  the  different 
members  of  the  family. 

The  center  of  interest  must  be  the  dominant  idea 
not  of  one  wall  only,  but  the  main  idea  around 
which  the  entire  room  is  arranged.  It  may  be  a 
fireplace  with  a  beautiful  picture  above  it,  as  in 
Plate  XVI,  for  the  ruddy  glow  of  an  open  fire  gives 
a  sense  of  cheer  and  comradeship  which  nothing 
else  can  supply.  One  cannot  enter  this  room  with- 
out being  attracted  by  its  beauty  and  simplicity, 


Fundamental  Principles,  I 


153 


PLATE   XIX 

and  by  the  dignity  of  proportions  and  space- 
relations.  If  the  purse  is  too  shallow  for  this  luxury, 
the  center  of  interest  may  be  a  single  picture  to  be 
hung  with  plenty  of  wall-space  about  it,  as  in 
Plate  XX.  Care  and  discrimination  will  be 
required  in  choosing  the  picture,  for  it  must  give 
character  to  the  room  and  be  the  keynote  for  the 
color  scheme  to  be  used.  A  prominent  and  beautiful 
piece  of  furniture  may  be  used,  as  a  cabinet,  a  high- 
boy, or  a  piano  which  is  distinctive  enough  in  form 
and  placing  to  attract  and  hold  the  attention  when 


Home  Planning 

one  enters  the  room,  as  in  Plates  XIV  and  XXI,  and 
in  initial  interior,  page  160.  Book  shelves  and  mag- 
azine closets,  or  a  window  with  a  row  of  shelves 
beneath  may  serve  as  the  center  of  interest.  A  win- 
dow which  commands  a  picturesque  view  may 
become  the  center  of  interest,  thus  bringing  the 
charm  and  beauty  of  the  changes  of  nature  into  the 
room.  Sometimes  the  space  framed  by  such  a  win- 
dow is  broken  by  a  group  of  tree  trunks,  or  by 
the  bent  trunk  of  some  one  tree  as  it  cuts  across 
the  window  space,  in  the  manner  of  the  trunk  of  a 
pine  tree  in  a  Japanese  print.  Such  a  room,  beau- 
tiful in  its  proportion  and  commanding  fine  vistas, 
needs  little  embellishment.  In  every  case,  the  domi- 
nant idea  as  the  center  of  interest  gives  the  keynote 
to  the  entire  room,  and  to  this  all  furnishings  are 
subordinated. 

The  second  essential  in  the  planning  of  a  room 
is  the  selection,  the  balance,  and  the  proper  placing 
of  furniture  to  give  a  sense  of  equilibrium  without 
necessarily  equal  divisions.  A  proper  proportion 
in  the  relation  of  the  spaces  of  a  room  to  its  furni- 
ture must  be  secured.  If  this  balance  is  not  secured, 
no  number  of  costly  or  rare  articles  will  make  the 


Fundamental  Principles,  I 

room  beautiful,  or  will  be  compensation  for  the 
picture  that  the  room  might  have  been.  In  how 
many  houses  do  you  get  from  a  comprehensive 
glance  a  thrill  of  delight  or  a  sense  of  beauty?  How 
many  houses  do  you  visit  which  give  you  the  impres- 
sion that  the  pictures,  rugs,  furniture,  and  hangings 
were  chosen  because  of  a  scheme  previously  thought 
out?  Is  each  article  of  furniture  chosen  because 
its  height,  shape,  color,  or  line  of  construction  is  in 
harmony  with  other  objects  in  the  room,  and  because 
it  performs  a  function  in  the  harmony  as  a  whole? 
When  a  chair  is  added,  its  height  and  character 
should  be  chosen  with  reference  to  objects  near 
which  it  will  be  placed,  as  in  Plates  XX  and  XXI. 
A  table  should  be  selected  because  its  height  and  line 
of  construction  conform  to  the  other  objects  about 
it,  as  in  Plate  XIX.  No  matter  how  beautiful 
an  article  of  furniture  may  be  in  itself,  if  it  is  out 
of  proportion  and  harmony  with  other  objects  in 
the  room  or  foreign  to  their  character,  it  detracts 
from  the  beauty  of  the  whole. 

Richness  of  effect,  even  in  simple,  inexpensive 
furniture,  may  be  gained  by  the  use  of  a  few  large 
objects  which  balance  empty  wall  spaces.  Dignity 


Home  Planning 


PLATE  XX 

could  not  have  been  gained  had  the  chair  in  Plate 
XXI  been  low  or  broad,  or  had  the  top  of  the 
cabinet  been  covered  with  many  ornaments.  Many 
small  objects  placed  on  the  top  of  a  book-case  or 
on  a  mantel  appear  like  so  many  spots  which  swarm 
in  an  unrelated  way.  The  over-crowding  of  a 
mantel  expresses  vulgarity.  Three  or  four  well- 
chosen  objects  varying  in  size,  character,  and  color, 
and  carefully  arranged,  are  preferable,  as,  for 
example,  a  rare  piece  of  carving,  a  piece  of  lacquer, 
and  some  article  of  utility,  such  as  a  vase  or  candle- 


Fundamental  Principles,  I  757 

stick  having  artistic  merit.  Exquisite  small  replicas 
of  old  masterpieces  of  Greek  or  Roman  sculpture 
are  inexpensive,  and  add  dignity  and  character  to 
a  room.  In  the  placing  of  certain  ornaments  upon 
the  mantel,  as  in  the  arrangement  of  furniture  to 
fill  certain  spaces,  one  is  confronted  with  a  distinct 
lesson  in  design  that  requires  thought  in  line  and 
color  grouping.  No  object  should  be  placed  except 
in  accordance  with  a  well  considered  plan  to  secure 
a  balance  of  unequal  spaces.  It  must  not  divide 
the  space  into  equal  parts  or  help  to  form  a  group 
of  objects  of  the  same  height  or  contour.  A  few 
large  ornaments  well  chosen  with  reference  to  size 
and  color  are  as  essential  to  a  well-arranged  room 
as  are  pictures. 

The  house  in  which  pictures  predominate  will 
need  very  little  other  decoration.  A  picture  may 
be  the  center  of  interest  of  a  single  wall  space  or  it 
may  be  the  center  around  which  the  entire  room  is 
to  be  built.  Many  pictures  of  equal  size  hung  side 
by  side  give  a  repetition  in  size  and  form  which 
produces  monotony,  and  each  picture,  no  matter 
how  well  chosen,  loses  something  of  the  value  which 
it  would  possess  if  it  were  more  discriminatingly 


I $8  Home  Planning 

hung,  as  Plate  XVII.  Pictures,  like  bric-a-brac, 
are  dangerous,  for  it  is  easy  to  overcrowd  a  wall 
with  them.  Another  essential  consideration  in 
hanging  pictures  is  the  lighting.  A  great  deal  of 
the  beauty  of  a  picture  depends  upon  the  way  the 
light  falls  upon  it.  Cross  lights,  reflected  lights, 
or  the  absence  of  lights  may  mar  entirely  the  beauty 
of  the  picture.  A  beautiful  picture  should  be 
beautifully  shown  with  plenty  of  wall-space  about 
it  and  with  adequate  lighting. 

Pictures  should  be  hung  neither  too  high  nor  too 
low,  with  two  vertical  wires  as  invisible  supports. 
The  prevalent  manner  of  hanging  pictures  so  that 
their  wires  form  many  inverted  V's  about  a  room 
is  offensive.  The  center  of  interest  of  the  picture 
should  be  on  the  level  of  the  eye  except  in  the 
case  of  a  full  length  portrait.  Another  good  custom 
in  hanging  pictures  is  to  hang  all  pictures  in  the 
room  so  that  their  lower  edges  will  be  on  a  line, 
except  that  of  the  dominant  picture.  This  one  should 
be  dropped  a  few  inches  below  the  line,  thus  break- 
ing the  regularity.  Pictures  having  mats  should  be 
hung  to  themselves.  Gold  frames  and  wood  frames 
should  be  hung  separately.  There  should  be  no 


Fundamental  Principles,  I  /59 

violent  contrasts  either  in  the  size  or  the  color  of 
the  frames,  or  in  the  pictures  themselves.  There 
may  be  variety,  but  variety  alone  has  no  merit 
unless  it  results  in  harmony.  After  the  dominant 
picture  has  been  placed  in  its  proper  light,  the 
order  of  arrangement  of  other  pictures  may  be  deter- 
mined according  to  importance,  whether  in  tech- 
nique, subject,  color,  or  size  and  shape,  reserving 
the  least  important  for  the  quiet,  unobtrusive  corner. 
A  few  fine  pictures  well  chosen  and  well-lighted 
are  preferable  to  many  trivial  ones.  They  will 
grow  in  favor  after  a  person  has  lived  with  them 
for  a  time,  and  will  bring  a  dissatisfaction  with 
less  artistic  productions. 

In  the  living  room,  the  student  must  express  in 
a  concrete  way  the  comfort,  the  rest,  the  hospitality 
of  the  home.  With  chairs  at  angles,  with  tables 
and  books  convenient  but  never  in  the  way,  with 
the  ruddy  glow  of  a  fire,  with  pictures  hung  neither 
too  high  nor  too  low,  this  room  must  not  give  a 
sense  of  either  emptiness  or  over-crowding.  It  is 
the  place  for  good  comradeship  as  well  as  for 
privacy,  a  place  to  rest  in,  to  work  in,  and  to  play  in, 
a  place  which  one  leaves  with  the  desire  to  return, 


CHAPTER  XIX 

FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES  II 

The  same  principles 
must  be  applied  to 
the  arrangement  of 
the  pictures  and  fur- 
niture in  a  dining 
room.  In  this  room 
the  actual  necessities 
are  the  table  and 
chairs,  as  in  Plate 
XXII.  A  sideboard, 
a  buffet,  or  a  serving 
table  add  much  to 
the  appearance  and  comfort  of  the  room.  There  is 
greater  coherence  and  unity  in  dining  room  furniture 
than  in  that  of  other  rooms  because  there  is  but  one 
definite  purpose  in  the  room.  This  room  also  should 
be  light,  airy,  and  cheerful,  and  should  express 
hospitality.  There  are  large  living  rooms  the  cor- 
ners of  which  are  bays  where  meals  are  served, 
as  in  Plate  XXVIII.  Between  times  there  is  no 

160 


Fundamental  Principles,  II  l6l 

suggestion  of  a  dining  room.  It  is  a  delightful 
plan  to  have  a  deft  maid  prepare  the  table  quickly 
and  remove  as  quickly  all  traces  of  it  after  meals. 

The  plate-rail  should  be  discarded,  since  it  is 
no  longer  an  ornament,  but  resolves  itself  into  a 
series  of  spots  which  attract  the  eye  to  that  part 
of  the  walls  that  should  be  unobtrusive.  Originally 
its  purpose  was  to  display  a  few  beautiful  plates 
of  porcelain  or  pewter,  so  rare  in  shape  and  color 
as  to  require  placing  beyond  the  reach  of  utility. 
It  then  became  an  ornament,  a  bit  of  decoration 
in  the  room.  The  selection  and  placing  of  porce- 
lain upon  the  buffet  or  cupboard  shelves  is  another 
problem  in  design  which  is  an  unlooked-for  test 
of  artistic  knowledge  of  arrangement.  It  is  said 
that  Whistler  was  as  careful  in  placing  his  beauti- 
ful blue  and  white  Nankin  china  upon  his  cupboard 
shelves  or  upon  his  table  as  he  was  in  placing  his 
signature,  the  butterfly,  upon  his  canvases.  If  you 
remove  the  signature  you  lose  the  perfect  balance  of 
the  picture. 

The  problem  of  the  kitchen  is  by  no  means  the 
least  important.  Convenience  and  sanitation  are 
the  first  two  things  to  consider,  but  the  question 


PLATE  XXI 


Fundamental  Principles,  II  163 

arises  at  once,  "May  we  make  it  attractive  also?" 
for  to  many  the  very  word  sanitary  implies  ugli- 
ness. The  ideal  kitchen  is  not  large,  and  a  square 
room  saves  steps.  Any  device  in  the  kitchen  which 
will  save  steps  or  time  should  be  considered.  One 
must  learn  to  discriminate  between  the  elaborate, 
complicated  articles  and  those  that  are  plain,  simple, 
and  helpful,  for  anything  bulky  in  a  small  kitchen 
means  additional  work. 

The  beauty,  convenience,  and  sanitation  of  a 
kitchen  depend  upon  the  nature  of  the  treatment 
of  walls,  floor,  and  ceiling,  more  than  in  any  other 
room  in  the  house.  Tile  floors,  tile  walls,  and 
other  non-absorbent  floor-  and  wall  coverings  are 
too  expensive  for  such  simple  homes  as  are  here 
considered.  There  is  little  choice  as  to  the  floor, 
which  may  be  of  oak,  ash,  or  some  other  hard  wood. 
For  walls,  in  recent  years  several  compositions  of 
wood-fibers  and  plasters  have  been  used  successfully, 
put  on  in  plastic  condition  and  trowelled  down  to 
a  smooth  surface  which  is  almost  fireproof  and  non- 
absorbent.  This  furnishes  a  good  surface  for  paint. 
Oil  cloth  is  also  a  good  covering.  Where  the  above 
can  not  be  used,  paint  is  better  than  wallpaper.  Any 


Home  Planning 

neutral  color  which  possesses  glow  and  warmth  is 
good,  but  cold  colors  are  not.  By  a  judicious  use 
of  color  in  wall  coverings,  the  kitchen  may  be  trans- 
formed from  a  commonplace  room  into  a  pleasing 
one. 

Most  of  the  equipment  of  the  kitchen,  including 
sink,  ice  chest,  cabinets,  and  cupboards,  is  built 
into  the  room.  A  stove,  a  chair,  a  stool,  and  a 
table  are  the  only  necessary  furniture.  All  kinds 
of  furniture  have  been  invented  for  kitchens,  only 
to  be  discarded.  Collapsible  and  convertible  tables 
and  chairs  which  turn  into  stepladders  or  clothes- 
horses  are  examples  of  this  kind  of  furniture.  After 
all,  plainness  and  simplicity  are  desirable.  When 
articles  become  complicated  one  loses  more  time  in 
operation  than  she  saves  through  the  use  of  these 
novel  devices.  An  elaborate  kitchen  table  with 
drawers,  shelves,  hooks,  and  sundry  other  devices 
may  look  well  and  seem  \  eoretically  very  helpful, 
but  a  plain  simple  table  wr*h  a  few  drawers  will 
prove  most  advantageous.  Peform  is  needed  in 
kitchen  stoves,  and  an  effort  is  being  made  to 
improve  them.  Various  types  of  stoves  need  to  be 
considered,  and  the  one  chosen  should  lift  the  ovens 


Fundamental  Principles,  II 

well  up  from  the  floor.  Where  one  can  afford  the 
additional  expense,  a  generous  hood  should  be 
placed  over  the  range  to  ventilate  and  to  carry 
smoke  and  odors  of  cooking  from  the  room. 

In  making  wall-elevations,  the  student  should  be 
careful  to  place  the  stove  in  the  center  of  one  wall 
near  a  window,  and  the  sink  at  right  angles  or 
opposite  with  shelves  and  table  between  to  minimize 
labor,  as  in  Plate  XXIII.  While  kitchens  are  utility 
rooms,  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  be 
made  attractive  with  oil  cloth  walls,  built-in  cup- 
boards, and  ells  with  breakfast  tables,  as  in  Plate 
XXIV.  The  placing  of  shining  copper  and  of  blue 
and  white  enamel  cooking  utensils  upon  the  cup- 
board shelves  follows  the  same  principles  of 
arrangement  as  govern  that  of  other  rooms  in  the 
house.  The  student  who  chose  white  and  orange 
bowls  and  blue  and  white  granite  ware  instead  of 
grey,  and  painted  her  r'jtern  pump  blue  to  be  in 
harmony  with  the  cvpress  wood  finish  and  buff 
walls,  had  a  true  aopreciation  of  beauty.  Beauty 
depends  upon  the  harmonious  relation  of  parts  to 
the  whole,  whether  that  relates  to  fine  arts  or  to  the 
selection  and  arrangement  of  kitchen  utensils.  It  is 


PLATE   XXII 


Fundamental  Principles,  II 

not  the  difference  in  cost  but  in  appreciation  which 
brings  harmony. 

The  bedroom  is  the  place  where  liberality  of 
mind  and  character  are  displayed.  It  is  the  place 
where  directly  personal  things  may  be  kept,  such 
as  photographs,  crayon  portraits,  keepsakes,  and  all 
those  things  which  relate  directly  to  the  sentiment  of 
the  occupant  and  which  have  little  interest  to  the 
casual  guest.  No  person  of  fine  taste  will  have 
articles  that  are  conspicuous  and  crude  in  this,  the 
most  intimate  of  all  rooms  in  the  house. 

This  room  is  to  serve  as  a  sleeping  place,  and 
therefore  needs  large  windows  for  ventilation,  and 
should  be  lighted  and  cheerful.  The  wall-spaces 
should  be  adequate  for  bed  and  dresser  and  any 
other  piece  of  furniture  necessary  for  the  use,  com- 
fort, and  convenience  of  the  occupant  of  the  room. 
Well-proportioned,  simply-constructed  closets  and 
cupboards  may  be  built  into  the  room  to  provide 
space  for  hats,  shoes,  and  garments  of  varying 
length  and  character,  as  in  Plates  XXV  and  XXVI. 
A  limited  sum  of  money  sometimes  stimulates  one 
to  exercise  no  small  amount  of  ingenuity,  invention, 
and  artistic  activity  in  designing  some  well-planned, 


168  Home  Planning 

built-in  cupboards,  closets,  and  furniture.  Every 
detail  should  be  considered  from  two  points  of  view, 
those  of  use  and  arrangement.  The  requirements 
of  a  bedroom  are  few,  and  simplicity  will  add 
dignity  to  the  room. 

As  the  designs  of  wall-elevations  of  the  different 
rooms  progress,  the  student  who  has  a  working 
knowledge  of  laws  of  balance  and  proportion  will 
express  it  in  a  straightforward,  orderly  way.  He 
will  remember  that  rooms  must  ever  serve  as  back- 
grounds or  settings  for  the  drama  of  life.  When 
he  permits  the  articles  of  furniture  to  dominate 
the  room  and  its  occupant,  he  violates  every  law 
of  good  taste.  He  must  have  rooms  which  once 
arranged  will  give  a  thrill  of  joy  and  a  sense  of 
satisfaction ;  rooms  which  are  fit  to  be  homes  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word. 


CHAPTER  XX 

CHOICE  OF  FURNITURE 

The  designing  of  good  fur- 
niture depends  upon  two 
closely  related  require- 
ments, the  practical  and  the 
aesthetic.  The  first  deals 
with  comfort,  utility,  con- 
struction, and  materials; 
the  latter,  with  good  pro- 
portions, balance  of  related 
spaces,  unity  of  the  whole, 
enrichment,  color,  and  fin- 
ish. The  good  designer  is 
as  much  concerned  with  the  one  as  with  the  other, 
and  makes  no  effort  to  consider  them  separately. 
He  recognizes  that  all  ornament  is  the  outgrowth 
of  construction  and  secondary  to  it;  that  there  is 
no  place  in  good  furniture  for  applied  ornament. 
The  laws  of  good  construction  demand  conven- 
ience, strength,  and  security.  For  example,  a  chair 
must  be  comfortable  enough  to  sit  in,  strong  enough 
to  hold  its  occupant,  and  light  and  convenient 

169 


IJO  Home  Planning 

enough  to  be  moved  about.  A  chair  may  be  struc- 
turally adequate  for  the  service  it  is  to  perform 
and  still  be  wholly  ugly  and  uninteresting  in  pro- 
portion and  line.  The  laws  of  beauty  demand  that 
the  structural  elements  be  used  in  obedience  to  the 
principles  of  good  spacing,  balance,  and  enrich- 
ment, for  beautiful  proportions  contribute  to  a  dis- 
tinctive and  lasting  quality  in  furniture.  Solidly 
constructed  of  firm,  fine-grained  wood,  the  chair 
should  combine  simplicity  in  line  and  construction, 
balance  and  restraint  in  ornament,  and  artistic 
grace  and  comfort;  but  beauty  can  never  be  gained 
when  utility  is  ignored.  These  inseparable  elements 
require  a  well-related  adjustment  of  one  proportion 
or  part  to  another  and  to  the  whole. 

When  construction  is  sacrificed  to  ornament,  fur- 
niture becomes  unsuited  to  its  purpose.  Machine- 
stamped  decorations  and  carvings  are  indicative  of 
display,  frequently  at  the  cost  of  construction  and 
workmanship.  Beautiful  carving,  which  can  be 
done  only  by  a  master,  is  the  continuation  in  detail 
of  the  thought  expressed  in  construction,  an  enrich- 
ment of  refined  construction  which  is  an  outgrowth 
of  the  design  as  a  whole.  Applied  ornaments,  as 


Choice  of  Furniture 

well  as  over-ornamentation  and  high  polish,  are 
generally  used  to  hide  blemishes  in  wood.  Straight 
lines  and  simple  curves  may  appear  plain  and  unin- 
teresting, but  they  are  never  as  likely  to  be  so 
objectionable  either  structurally  or  aesthetically  as 
over-ornamentation  or  as  the  restless  unending 
spirals  and  concave  curves  of  debased  rococo. 

One's  own  personal  taste  is  exhibited  in  the  selec- 
tion of  furniture  more  than  in  that  of  other  features 
in  home  furnishing.  In  our  own  houses,  the  houses 
of  our  friends,  and  the  houses  that  line  our  street, 
thoughtful  examination  shows  that  the  over- 
crowded, artificial  conditions,  produced  as  they  are 
by  no  end  of  things  ugly,  useless,  and  artless  in 
their  arrangements,  are  due  to  the  lack  of  a  definite 
standard,  a  want  of  restraint,  and  an  unwise  expendi- 
ture. Through  constant  contact  with  the*  forms 
of  furniture  prevalent  about  us,  our  senses  become 
blunted  and  we  fail  to  appreciate  their  mediocrity. 
The  deplorable  tendency  to  consider  that  everything 
that  is  in  vogue  or  is  recommended  by  the  salesman 
is  in  good  taste,  leads  us  to  purchase  furniture  which 
is  not  exactly  what  we  want,  but  which  must  do 
after  it  is  once  purchased  until  we  have  more  leisure 


PLATE   XXIII 


Choice  of  Furniture 

to  devote  to  a  more  careful  search  or  more  money 
to  invest.  It  does  not  take  long  to  outgrow  these 
tasteless  purchases,  but  our  limited  means  prohibit 
our  discarding  them.  It  would  be  better  to  select 
one  piece  which  has  permanent  value  than  three 
of  flimsy  construction,  cheap  finish,  and  ugly  design 
for  the  same  price.  It  is  our  lack  of  care  in  selection 
that  causes  the  manufacturer  to  put  on  the  market 
articles  so  bizarre,  so  striking,  so  loud  as  to  arrest 
the  eye  at  once.  There  is  an  abundance  of  beautiful 
things  upon  the  market,  but  there  is  also  an  abun- 
dance of  ugly  things,  things  made  with  no  other 
thought  behind  them  than  an  intention  to  sell.  The 
measure  of  success  in  selecting  beautiful  and  har- 
monious furniture  for  the  home  is  the  measure  of 
one's  appreciation  of  what  is  fine  in  line,  construc- 
tion, and  design. 

In  order  that  the  homemaker  may  choose  furni- 
ture intelligently,  he  must  study  the  best  periods 
of  furniture-making,  not  that  he  may  have  a  super- 
ficial knowledge  of  the  history,  nor  that  he  may 
fill  his  home  with  period  furniture,  but  that  he  may 
have  a  better  understanding  of  what  constitutes  good 
lines  and  good  proportion;  of  what  distinguishes 


IJ4  Home  Planning 

solid,  honest,  direct  construction  from  weak;  of 
the  adaptability  of  certain  woods  to  construction, 
and  of  the  appropriateness  of  their  finish;  of  the 
breadth  and  simplicity  of  design  which  is  an  out- 
growth of  structural  lines;  and  of  the  value  of 
recurring  lines  which  give  enrichment,  such  as  are 
found  in  delicate  mouldings,  skillful  turning,  inlays 
of  various  woods,  and  tooling  which  repeats  struc- 
tural lines.  The  past  may  influence  one  strongly,  but 
there  are  many  unworthy,  positively  ugly  creations 
as  well  as  many  beautiful  pieces  of  furniture  in 
even  the  best  periods  of  furniture-making,  many 
evidences  of  decadence  as  well  as  of  true  growth. 
To  gain  a  helpful  knowledge  of  good  construction 
and  beauty,  one  must  learn  to  recognize  these  qual- 
ities and  to  distinguish  the  good  from  the  inferior. 
In  the  brief  space  allotted  to  this  important  sub- 
ject, only  an  outline  of  study  can  be  suggested. 
Beginning  with  the  Italian  Renaissance,  analyze  the 
structural  elements,  lines,  proportions,  and  shapes 
of  spaces  in  each  article  of  furniture,  and  the  logical 
process  of  building  in  ornament.  The  changes 
wrought  in  the  line  of  construction  and  in  the  shape 
and  design  came  gradually,  and  furnish  the  keynote 


Choice  of  Furniture  /75 

to  the  principles  underlying  all  good,  honest,  solid 
construction  in  the  centuries  of  furniture-making 
which  followed.  Generations  of  work  along  one 
line  led  to  the  development  of  manual  dexterity 
and  of  the  ability  to  design.  Decades  elapsed  before 
chests  were  elevated  to  sturdy  cupboards  or 
armoires,  and  the  credence,  conspicuous  for  its  well- 
balanced  proportions,  to  the  cabinet  with  its  nest 
of  drawers  and  compartments  within  folding  doors. 
It  is  not  the  charm  of  ornament  alone  that  is  essen- 
tial, but  the  structural  element  in  the  comparatively 
simple  form  of  the  "carcass"  or  foundation  of  cabi- 
nets, sideboards,  and  other  pieces  of  furniture. 
Trace  the  influence  of  these  elements  upon  the 
cabinet-makers  of  France,  Flanders,  and  England. 
Follow  the  influence  of  the  Flemish  designers  upon 
the  best  periods  of  furniture-making  in  England, 
when  the  designers  were  artists  as  well  as  masters 
in  architectural  art.  Such  men  as  Hogarth,  Van- 
dyke, and  Rubens  not  only  influenced  the  style, 
but  also  designed  the  furniture.  Good  design  and 
construction  in  furniture  reached  its  culmination 
in  the  best  work  of  Adams,  Chippendale,  Hepple- 
white,  and  Sheraton. 


PLATE   XXIV 


Choice  of  Furniture  7 77 

The  influence  of  the  adaptability  of  wood  upon 
design  should  be  considered.  The  slow  departure 
from  the  early  Gothic  and  perpendicular,  because 
of  the  nature  of  the  grain  of  the  wood,  brought  a 
direct,  straightforward  construction,  sometimes  lim- 
ited in  execution  and  clumsy  in  form.  This  gave 
way  to  graceful,  shapely,  sinuous  curves,  with  pro- 
portions and  materials  lighter  in  weight  because 
of  the  use  of  woods  of  finer,  firmer  grain.  During 
the  classic  period  of  Adams  and  Chippendale  in 
the  reign  of  George  III,  the  designers  for  the  first 
time  combined  strength  and  delicacy  by  the  intro- 
duction of  woods  characterized  by  these  qualities. 

The  use  and  abuse  of  these  ideas  should  be  fol- 
lowed through  the  decadence  of  the  Victorian 
period  in  England  and  a  similar  period  in  America. 
To  the  revival  inaugurated  by  William  Morris  and 
his  followers  we  are  indebted  for  an  aesthetic  move- 
ment which  has  spread  far  and  wide  over  many 
countries.  The  student  should  trace  this  movement 
in  Germany  and  France,  where  it  began  with  a 
movement  known  as  L'Art  Nouveau;  and  through 
this  transitional  stage  to  the  development  of  a  new 
style  which  promises  to  be  one  of  great  restraint, 


/7<?  Home  Planning 

beauty,  and  harmony  in  line  and  proportion.  All 
this  knowledge  will  give  a  student  an  understanding 
which  materially  strengthens  his  power  of  apprecia- 
tion and  his  ability  to  recognize  and  choose  good 
form  and  design  in  present  day  furniture. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

PICTURES  AND  FLOOR  COVERINGS 

A.      PICTURES 

The  one  who 
has  complete 
control  over 
the  choice  of 
pictures 
which  are  to 
hang  upon  the 
walls  of  the 
house  design- 
ed, finds  that 
his  very  free- 
dom in  the 
matter  increases  his  responsibility  in  making  the 
selection.  While  he  is  in  no  way  compelled  to 
use  any  picture  he  does  not  desire,  he  is  held 
accountable  for  his  mistakes  in  judgment  in  the 
same  degree  as  he  is  given  credit  for  his  successful 
choice. 

A  picture  is  judged  from  many  points  of  view. 
The  untutored  accepts  and  discards  lightly  because 

179 


I  So  Home  Planning 

of  his  unformed  taste  and  in  harmony  with  his 
whim  of  the  moment.  He  is  attracted  by  that  which 
is  obvious  and  often  conspicuous,  while  the  artist 
judges  a  picture  by  its  technique,  its  composition, 
the  manner  of  lighting,  the  method  in  which  color 
is  used,  and  the  artist's  conception  of  his  subject. 
He  recognizes  many  classes  of  pictures,  and  judges 
each  according  to  the  class  to  which  it  belongs :  the 
decorative  picture  by  the  balance,  grace,  and  beauty 
of  the  pattern  and  by  the  harmony  of  color;  the 
representative  picture,  not  only  by  its  technique 
and  composition,  but  by  the  artist's  concept  and 
interpretation  of  nature;  the  portrait  by  its  deco- 
rative merit,  masterly  execution,  or  special  sig- 
nificance, whether  historic  or  artistic;  the  inter- 
pretative picture  not  alone  by  its  technique, 
but  according  to  the  vision  of  an  ideal  which  the 
painter  awakens  in  others;  the  purely  sentimental, 
which  he  condemns  because  their  subjects  are  trivial 
and  commonplace  and  their  composition  and  tech- 
nique without  merit;  and  the  literary  picture,  which 
has  for  its  main  object  the  telling  of  a  story  and 
therefore  has  as  little  claim  to  the  name  of  art  as 
the  one  which  portrays  with  the  literal  truth  of 


Pictures  and  Floor  Coverings  l8l 

a  camera.  The  person  who  chooses  the  pictures  for 
a  home  must  recognize  all  of  these  classes  and 
select  those  of  permanent  value  to  serve  a  definite 
purpose  in  a  definite  place. 

There  is  no  fixed  rule  by  which  one  may  come 
to  know  what  is  essentially  good.  Understanding 
and  appreciation  of  pictures  are  a  matter  of  growth. 
They  can  not  be  bought  or  sold,  nor  can  they  be 
passed  on  at  will  from  one  person  to  another.  They 
must  be  evolved  through  intimate  association  with 
good  works  of  art.  The  story-telling  pictures,  the 
sentimental  pictures,  the  pictures  readily  compre- 
hended, those  that  are  self-assertive  or  insipid  in 
subject,  color,  or  technique,  never  give  lasting  satis- 
faction. Sooner  or  later  the  homemaker  becomes 
weary  of  them  and  discards  them  or,  what  is  worse, 
allows  them  to  remain  ignored  on  the  walls,  merely 
to  fill  space. 

Pictures  of  real  merit  require  time  and  effort  to 
understand  them.  They  never  assert  themselves  nor 
in  any  way  seek  you.  They  yield  their  subtle  qual- 
ities by  degrees,  growing  steadily  upon  you  and 
awakening  a  sense  of  deep  reverence  for  the  beauti- 
ful which  is  expressed  through  form,  color,  and 


1 82  Home  Planning 

quality.  The  work  of  the  master  leaves  no  trace 
of  effort  in  workmanship  and  needs  no  explanation 
for  its  presence.  It  has  no  mission  to  fulfill  but 
that  of  being  a  joy  to  the  artist,  the  musician,  the 
writer,  and  the  layman  alike. 

There  is  no  surer  way  to  increase  love  for  the 
beautiful  than  by  daily  association  with  a  few  fine 
works  of  art.  After  a  person  has  lived  with  them 
for  a  time,  a  few  good  pictures,  well  chosen  and 
well  placed,  will  grow  in  favor  and  will  bring  about 
a  dissatisfaction  with  pictures  which  are  without 
lasting  merit.  Many  people  give  less  thought  to  the 
selection  and  spend  less  money  in  the  purchase  of 
pictures  for  their  walls  than  they  do  on  their  floor 
coverings.  May  not  the  message  which  comes  to 
us  across  the  centuries — "to  sell  bread  to  buy  hya- 
cinths to  feed  the  soul" — be  applicable  to  the  pic- 
tures in  the  home?  The  constant  association  with 
a  good  color  reproduction  of  an  old  master,  or  a 
plaster  replica  of  the  best  of  Greek  or  Renaissance 
marbles  is  of  necessity  uplifting.  There  is  but  one 
thing  in  the  home  that  adds  more  to  its  dignity  and 
culture  than  a  fine  work  of  art — that  is,  books  that 
are  used. 


JL 


PLATE   XXV 


184  Home  Planning 

Good  oil  or  water-color  paintings  by  good  local 
artists  are  sometimes  within  the  reach  of  one  with 
limited  purse.  No  home  need  be  void  of  color  in 
pictures,  for  recent  processes  of  reproducing  with 
wonderful  accuracy  make  it  possible  to  secure  at 
low  cost  reproductions  of  both  old  and  modern 
masters.  The  variety  of  subjects  gives  ample 
opportunity  for  a  wide  range  of  choice  in  selection. 
Take  for  example,  the  long  list  of  portraits.  Rem- 
brandt's Women,  the  Scribe,  the  Man  'with  the 
Helmet,  all  marvels  in  their  richness  of  color  and 
light;  Franz  Hals'  more  jovial  and  human  people; 
Velasquez's  dignified,  courtly  people;  and  Vermeer 
of  Delft's  Lady  with  the  Pearl  Necklace,  Girl 
Reading  the  Letter,  with  their  simplicity  of  com- 
position and  glow  of  quiet  color,  will  be  found  more 
than  restful  in  the  home.  The  more  modern  por- 
traits of  Manet,  the  Boy  with  the  Sword  and  the 
Woman  in  Grey,  and  of  Whistler's  Girl  at  the 
Piano  and  Little  Rose  of  Lyme  Regis  are  quiet  and 
harmonious  in  color.  If  desired,  more  sparkling 
color  may  be  secured  in  the  portraits  of  Zorn  and 
other  Scandinavian  painters.  There  are  many  other 
inexpensive  reproductions  that  can  be  secured  in 


Pictures  and  Floor  Coverings  185 

both  color  and  carbon,  as  for  instance  in  the  Braun 
and  the  Guerin  prints,  in  the  Baumann  wood-block 
color  prints,  and  in  the  Maxfield  Parrish  prints,  all 
excellent  in  artistic  merit  and  in  execution.  The 
charm  of  color  and  the  decorative  quality  of  good 
Japanese  prints  are  enhanced  daily  in  the  eyes  of 
the  one  who  lives  with  them.  These  are  especially 
satisfactory  and  restful  in  a  bedroom.  Holbein's 
red  crayon  drawings  of  Jane  Seymour,  Anna  of 
Cleves,  Duchess  of  Suffolk,  and  others  are  also 
desirable  for  bedrooms. 

The  examples  quoted  above  are  only  a  few  of 
the  many  representative  pictures  of  excellent  quality 
suited  to  the  home.  It  is  my  desire  to  call  attention 
to  the  opportunity  one  has  of  choosing  inexpensive 
pictures  of  marked  individuality  for  homes  where 
original  works  of  art  cannot  always  be  possessed, 
and  to  the  possibility  of  wider  divergence  from  the 
popular  and  routine  choice  of  trivial  and  common- 
place subjects.  What  is  of  supreme  importance  is 
that  the  picture  chosen  shall  be  good  of  its  kind, 
that  it  shall  be  a  perfect  piece  of  decoration  on  the 
wall,  and  that  it  shall  be  chosen  because  it  is  in 
harmony  with  the  other  pictures  in  the  room. 


186 


Home  Planning 
B.     FLOOR  COVERINGS 


Before  a  homemaker 
can  make  a  selection 
of  floor  coverings,  it 
is  wise  to  consider 
rugs  and  carpets  from 
the  point  of  view  of 
their  manufacture 
and  distinguishing 
characteristics,  in 
order  that  she  may 
acquire  sufficient  in- 
telligence to  judge 
them  on  their  merits  and  to  make  a  rational  choice 
among  them. 

Carpet-weaving  preceded  the  making  of  rugs  and 
arose  among  a  people  who  lived  in  tents.  Carpets 
were  first  used  as  ornaments,  such  as  hangings  and 
coverings.  They  were  made  by  hand  by  people 
who  had  time,  patience,  and  love  for  the  beautiful 
in  common  things;  the  designs,  elementary  in  form, 
were  suggestive  of  leafage,  flowers,  beasts,  and  birds. 
The  beauty  of  these  carpets  came  through  the  fas- 


Pictures  and  Floor  Coverings 

cinating  combinations  of  colors  in  contrasts,  used 
in  an  ingenious  arrangement  of  patterns  that  lie 
absolutely  flat  without  modeling  or  shading,  and  are 
carefully  outlined.  The  charm  of  these  hand-made 
products  lies  in  their  expression  of  human  imagina- 
tion and  in  the  passing  inspirations  that  are  recorded 
in  the  designs  and  the  modulations  of  color. 

The  hand-made  rug  follows  the  same  design  as 
does  the  hand-made  carpet.  The  plan  consists  of 
a  series  of  narrow  borders  varying  in  width  and 
design,  with  a  principal  one,  wider  than  the  others, 
surrounding  a  field.  The  field  is  seldom  empty.  It 
is  broken  in  various  ways,  sometimes  by  one  or  more 
medallions  which  vary  in  shape  and  size,  and  some- 
times by  the  repetition  of  floral  or  geometric  pat- 
terns. It  is  frequently  broken  at  the  corners  by 
angles,  or,  as  in  the  prayer  rug,  by  the  conventional 
arch  of  a  Mosque.  This  general  plan  of  the  oriental 
rug  has  become  the  customary  plan  for  all  modern 
domestic  and  machine-made  rugs. 

The  wool  required  for  rugs  and  carpets  must 
have  a  firmness  and  strength  to  give  weaving  and 
wearing  qualities,  entirely  different  from  that  of 
the  soft,  fine  wool  required  for  cloth.  Wools  for 


188  Home  Planning 

carpets  are  chosen  from  mountain  sheep  that  are 
exposed  to  the  rigors  of  severe  climates,  because 
their  wool  gives  strength  and  toughness  that  cannot 
be  secured  from  sheep  in  a  warmer  climate.  This 
wool  is  washed  repeatedly  in  clear  running  water 
to  remove  all  animal  oil,  and  is  spun,  carded,  and 
dyed  in  vegetable  dyes  which  give  subdued  richness 
and  glow  in  color.  In  the  western  countries,  the 
chemical  and  mineral  dyes  which  are  generally 
used  give  harsher  and  sometimes  cruder  colors.  In 
machine-made  carpets  and  rugs,  the  wool  for  the 
warp  is  spun  tight  and  the  weft  fine,  and  when 
spun,  it  is  put  into  skeins  and  dyed;  the  pile  is 
heavy  and  loose. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  machine-made  rugs  al- 
ways lack  the  charm  of  invention  and  the  individ- 
uality of  the  oriental  rug,  artistic  merit  and  beauty 
are  to  be  found  in  many  of  them.  The  colors  and 
designs  are  sometimes  similar  to  those  of  the  hand- 
made, except  that  the  colors  are  limited  to  six  or 
eight  hues,  and  the  patterns  are  mechanically  accu- 
rate, and  are  repeated  at  regular  intervals.  The 
Hand  Tuft  rugs  are  made  after  the  method  of  the 
oriental,  with  knots  tied  by  hand,  in  any  color  or 


Pictures  and  Floor  Coverings  l8q 

design,  without  seams,  and  with  a  deep  pile.  These 
are  luxurious  in  texture  and  are  high  priced,  pos- 
sibly because  of  the  cost  of  labor  in  European 
countries  as  compared  with  that  of  the  Orient.  The 
more  commonly  used  Axminster  has  a  loose  weave 
similar  to  that  of  Chinese  rugs  and  can  be  procured 
in  Chinese  patterns  and  in  a  few  oriental  designs. 
It  is  made  of  the  finest  of  wool,  with  cut  pile,  and 
in  every  color.  For  many  years  the  Wilton  has 
been  a  serviceable  rug  because  of  its  wearing  quali- 
ties and  its  design.  It  is  made  of  an  excellent  grade 
of  wool,  which  is  first  dyed  and  then  closely  woven 
over  wire.  A  knife  at  the  end  of  the  wire  cuts  the 
loops  as  the  wire  is  withdrawn,  giving  a  close,  full 
pile.  The  Wiltons  are  popular  because  of  their 
close  reproductions  of  a  few  designs  in  oriental 
rugs.  However,  they  are  mechanically  correct  in 
detail  and  shape,  and  their  color  lacks  the  charm, 
richness,  and  strength  of  the  oriental.  The  velvet 
rug  is  an  imitation  of  the  Wilton.  Body  Brussels 
wears  well,  is  easily  cleaned,  and  is  not  expensive. 
The  pile  consists  of  uncut  loops,  and  the  pattern  is 
limited  in  the  number  of  warps  used  and  to  the  use 
of  six  colors.  Body  Brussels  can  be  obtained  in 


IQO  Home  Planning 

quiet  colors  and  in  good  modest  designs.  Tapestry 
Brussels,  an  imitation  of  Body  Brussels,  is  printed 
by  machine  after  it  is  woven,  therefore  often  having 
a  blurred  appearance.  The  Smyrna  is  double-faced 
and  reversible,  has  a  thick  cut  pile,  and  is  woven 
in  one  piece.  The  best  grades  follow  oriental  designs. 
Rugs  or  carpets  which  have  no  pile  are  made  of 
double  cloth  with  the  face  pattern  reversed  on  the 
back,  as  may  be  seen  in  ingrain,  Scotch  Art,  and 
others.  Excepting  a  few  designs  by  William  Morris 
and  a  few  others,  the  ingrain  carpet  has  much  pat- 
tern and  little  artistic  merit.  Terry  or  Fillings  are 
plain  ingrains  in  solid  colors,  and  like  the  Scotch 
Art  rugs,  wear  well  but  spot  easily.  Jute,  mattings, 
and  grass  fibres  are  desirable  for  summer  and  are 
adapted  to  all  surroundings.  They  have  proved 
a  practical  covering  for  rooms  which  are  little 
used,  sometimes  even  for  a  living  room,  library, 
or  bed  room,  and  are  clean  and  inexpensive.  The 
rag  rug  has  no  pile,  the  body  being  formed  by  a 
thick  weft.  The  simple,  plain  rag  rug  is  especially 
desirable  and  serviceable  in  bed  rooms  and  bath- 
rooms. It  is  inexpensive,  is  easily  cleaned,  and  may 
be  artistic. 


1 


PLATE   XXVI 


IQ2  Home  Planning 

Purchasers  are  attracted  more  frequently  by  color 
and  design  than  by  durability.  The  same  care  should 
be  exercised  in  choosing  a  floor  covering  as  in 
deciding  upon  all  other  furnishing;  that  is,  its 
relation  to  the  walls,  the  room,  and  the  furniture 
must  be  considered.  A  rug  may  be  beautiful  in 
itself  and  yet  out  of  harmony  in  color,  design,  or 
quality  with  all  other  articles  of  furnishing  in  the 
room.  It  is  a  safe  plan  to  choose  a  rug  with  a 
quiet  field  and  a  design  small,  simple,  and  unob- 
trusive in  shape,  color,  and  value.  Restless,  vigor- 
ous, and  pronounced  designs;  naturalistic  forms 
such  as  animals,  birds,  or  flowers,  modeled  and 
shaded ;  or  strong  contrasts  in  color  in  the  floor- 
coverings,  become  the  center  of  interest  of  a  room : 
that  is,  they  are  so  pronounced  that  they  attract  and 
hold  the  attention.  A  rug  should  be  the  lowest 
value  in  the  room,  and  should  attract  least 
attention,  though  it  may  have  a  glow  of  color  like 
a  mosaic,  quiet  and  subdued.  When  a  sense  of 
economy  prohibits  the  discarding  of  a  self-assertive 
rug,  it  may  be  dyed  black  or  a  quiet  neutral  color, 
as  in  Plate  XXVII. 

The  size  of  the  rug  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with 


Pictures  and  Floor  Coverings 

the  appearance  of  the  room.  Many  small  rugs 
make  a  room  appear  smaller  and  chopped  up, 
while  one  large  rug  or  carpet  increases  the  size  of 
the  room.  Floor  coverings  which  give  a  quiet 
glow  in  color  and  are  inconspicuous  in  design  and 
low  in  value  will  hold  the  furnishings  of  the  room 
together  and  add  dignity  to  the  whole. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

COLOR  IN  THE  ROOM 

Bismarck  declared  that 
he  could  make  no 
plans  in  a  room  where 
the  colors  were  inhar- 
monious. Most  peo- 
ple realize  that  a  room 
is  cheerful  or  depres- 
sing, inviting  or  re- 
pellent, but  few  are 
aware  that  these  quali- 
ties are  directly  de- 
pendent up  the  kind 
and  intensity  of  the  color  used.  The  beauty  of  a 
room  depends  upon  its  color,  which  includes  the 
walls,  wood-work,  carpets,  rugs,  draperies,  furni- 
ture, pictures,  and  ornaments. 

The  principles  of  color  correspond  to  those  of 
melodious  sound.     It  is  impossible  to  produce  the 
best  effect  with  one  tone,  and  just  as  impossible  to* 
produce  the  most  melodious  sound  by  harsh  con- 

194 


Color  in  the  Room 

trasts.  It  is  the  skillful  manipulation  of  tone  con- 
trasts in  harmony,  even  the  judicious  opposition  of 
tones,  that  produces  the  greatest  harmonies  in  color. 
But  color  tones,  unlike  music,  are  permanent.  They 
are  not  lost  with  the  passing  moment,  but  remain  a 
constant  delight  or  discomfort.  If  colors  are  not 
balanced  in  the  same  big  way  in  which  we  balance 
contrasting  forms,  the  scheme  will  be  lost. 

The  first  impression  of  a  room  depends  upon 
the  walls.  No  amount  of  richness  and  beauty  in 
rugs,  pictures,  furniture,  and  draperies  will  redeem 
a  bad  wall.  It  is  easy  to  distinguish  a  very  good 
or  a  very  bad  design  in  wall-paper.  But  the  manu- 
facturers produce  quantities  of  paper  that  are  "al- 
most good."  How  is  one  to  discriminate  and  dis- 
card quickly  all  mediocre  designs?  There  are  three 
types  of  bad  wall  paper.  The  first  type  is  found  in 
papers  that  suggest  different  planes,  as  if  one  part 
of  the  wall  were  nearer  than  another.  This  type 
of  bad  design  appears  in  many  forms.  It  is  found 
in  all  designs  of  leaves  and  foliage  expressing  planes 
which  give  an  undulating,  wavering  appearance 
to  the  surface  of  the  wall,  and  should  be  discarded 
no  matter  how  beautiful  the  color.  Landscapes 


I()6  Home  Planning 

portraying  distant  fields,  forests,  streams,  and  clouds, 
or  set  in  fantastic  scrolls,  or  those  in  broad  decora- 
tive masses  of  different  values,  all  expressing  planes, 
should  be  avoided.  Designs  of  trellises  with  trail- 
ing vines  and  fruits,  festoons  and  garlands  of 
flowers,  bow-knots  of  ribbons,  self-assertive  stripes, 
and  baskets  of  fruits  must  be  avoided  for  the  same 
reason.  One  is  deceived  by  the  beautiful  colors,  the 
play  of  light  and  shade,  and  the  naturalistic  clusters 
of  flowers  and  fruits,  forgetting  that  the  literal  por- 
trayal of  any  nature  form  on  a  wall  is  a  direct 
violation  of  design  here  just  as  it  is  in  lace  or  tex- 
tiles. A  decorative  form  suggesting  a  flower,  in  a 
value  almost  imperceptibly  removed  from  the  back- 
ground, may  be  used.  But  the  charm  of  the  simplest 
flower  is  lost  when  it  is  seen  regularly  repeated  at 
short  intervals  over  yards  of  surface. 

The  second  type  to  be  discarded  is  made  up  of 
conventional,  geometric,  and  heraldic  designs,  which 
are  pronounced  in  form,  value,  or  color,  or  in  all 
three.  The  units  may  be  faultless  so  far  as  design 
is  concerned,  but  when  placed  upon  paper  so  that 
they  run  vertically,  horizontally,  or  diagonally, 
they  become  intolerable.  They  appear  like  so  many 


Color  in  the  Room  IQJ 

spots  when  repeated  hundreds  of  times  over  a  wall, 
and  are  offensively  obstrusive  and  often  nerve- 
racking  when  they  peer  from  behind  pictures,  and 
above  and  around  furniture.  A  good  design  is  often 
ruined  by  being  printed  in  values  too  strong  for  the 
background.  This  is  not  noticed  in  a  small  sample, 
but  is  objectionable  when  repeated  without  relief 
over  the  four  walls  of  a  room. 

The  third  type  of  paper  to  be  discarded  is  that 
having  the  mottled  effect  suggestive  of  a  water-color 
wash  put  on  unevenly,  as  if  by  a  bad  workman. 
Walls  are  flat  surfaces  expressing  only  length  and 
height,  and  must  remain  flat,  no  matter  what  is  put 
on  them.  There  must  be  no  suggestion  of  depth 
or  distance,  no  self-assertive  shapes,  values,  or  color, 
if  pictures  are  to  hang  against  them.  All  paper 
characterless  in  design  and  neutral  in  color,  ap- 
proaching a  flat,  even  tone,  is  a  safe  one  to  choose. 
Walls  must  remain  as  backgrounds,  not  only  for 
pictures  and  furniture,  but  for  people.  When  we 
permit  wall  and  floor  coverings  to  dominate  the 
room  and  its  occupant  by  means  of  their  pronounced 
designs  and  strong  colors,  we  are  violating  every 
law  of  good  taste.. 


I()8  Home  Planning 

Wall  papers  should  be  in  harmony  with  the  color 
of  the  wood-trim  in  the  room,  as  well  as  with  the 
color  in  adjoining  rooms.  They  should  have  some- 
thing of  the  same  warmth  or  coolness  of  color  that 
is  found  in  the  wood-trim.  For  example,  cafe-au- 
lait  colored  paper  will  be  in  harmony  with  soft  grey 
brown,  natural  walnut,  and  red  gum,  but  will  be 
out  of  harmony  with  yellow  pine  or  golden  oak,  for 
the  cool  grey  of  the  paper  emphasizes  the  yellow 
in  the  woods.  On  the  other  hand,  the  yellow  in 
pine  or  golden  oak  can  be  neutralized  and  properly 
subordinated  by  the  use  of  a  soft  brown  paper  of 
the  same  hue  as  the  pine,  only  slightly  greyed,  for 
the  yellow  in  the  one  counteracts  the  yellow  in  the 
other.  All  wall-papers  appear  several  values  darker 
when  put  on  the  wall  in  unbroken  masses.  For  this 
reason,  it  is  wise  to  choose  a  paper  very  high  in 
value.  Any  color  above  middle  value  reflects  light 
and  increases  the  apparent  size  of  the  room,  while 
all  values  below  middle  absorb  light  and  make  a 
room  appear  smaller.  Sharp  contrasts  between  side 
walls  and  ceiling  are  rarely  pleasing;  for  example, 
a  strong  red  wall  and  a  cream  ceiling.  There  is  a 
truth  in  the  statement  that  a  light  ceiling  makes  a 


Color  in  the  Room  IQQ 

lighter  room,  but  the  contrast  between  it  and  the 
wall  should  not  be  aggressive. 

Draperies  have  a  three-fold  purpose:  to  exclude 
sunlight,  to  provide  privacy,  and  to  give  color  to 
a  room.  One  needs  to  consider  not  only  the  quality 
and  flexibility  of  the  drapery,  but  its  durability 
and  the  manner  in  which  it  can  be  cleansed.  Cer- 
tain English  chintzes,  Austrian  linens  and  cretonnes, 
French  chambrays,  Japanese  crepes  and  towelings, 
and  other  materials  of  fast  colors  are  washable, 
and  by  means  of  their  transparency  transmit  color, 
light,  and  glow  into  the  room.  They  are  appro- 
priate for  both  dining  rooms  and  bed  rooms.  They 
are  inexpensive  and  can  be  obtained  in  good  designs 
with  a  wide  range  of  colors  from  quiet,  neutral  tones 
to  sparkling  colors.  Heavy  silks,  brocades,  and 
tapestries  which  are  flexible  and  yield  to  graceful 
folds  are  desirable  for  living  rooms.  Materials 
that  are  stiff  and  wiry,  and  wools  which  attract 
moths  are  not  desirable.  Figured,  plain,  or  striped 
draperies  are  pleasing  with  plain  walls,  but  the 
balance  is  lost  when  figured  draperies  are  used 
with  figured  walls. 

Draperies  are  most  pleasing  when  hung  straight, 


2OO  Home  Planning 

without  valance  and  without  draping.  A  horizontal 
flounce  or  valance  across  the  top  of  the  window  de- 
creases the  height  of  the  window  and  should  be 
avoided  in  a  low  room  or  on  a  low  window.  A 
valance  may  be  used  only  on  windows  of  great 
height,  as  in  Plate  XIV.  The  problem  of  hanging 
draperies  in  the  bay  window  in  this  illustration  is 
worth  considering.  Three  sets  of  lines  were  plainly 
visible  from  all  parts  of  the  room:  the  horizontal 
lines  at  the  top  of  the  semi-hexagonal  bay-windows, 
which  were  eleven  feet  high,  the  pronounced  verti- 
cal lines  of  the  deep  casings,  and  the  curve  of  the 
arch  leading  into  the  bay.  The  conjunction  of  these 
structural  lines  as  seen  from  the  room  was  distract- 
ing. The  use  of  the  deep  valance  not  only  shortened 
the  great  height  of  the  window  but  hid  the  objec- 
tionable lines  of  construction. 

As  stated,  there  should  be  a  similarity  in  tone 
between  wall-papers  and  wood-trim,  but  there  must 
be  contrast  in  color  between  wall  paper  and  draper- 
ies. For  example,  suppose  one  chooses  a  light, 
grey-brown  drapery  to  be  used  with  light  grey- 
brown  walls  and  wood-trim.  This  produces  a 
dominant  harmony  which  is  monotonous  and  will 


Color  in  the  Room  2OI 

require  some  very  pronounced  and  assertive  color 
elsewhere  to  relieve  it.  The  beauty  of  a  harmony 
in  contrasts  could  be  secured  if  contrasting  colors, 
such  as  a  sap  green,  a  green-blue,  or  an  apple  green 
approaching  emerald,  were  used  in  the  drapery. 
The  fewer  colors  one  uses  in  a  room  the  better  the 
harmony.  A  successful  room  is  one  which  is  kept 
almost  neutral  in  the  color  values  of  the  large 
masses  of  furniture  and  walls,  and  is  given  charm 
and  glow  by  the  use  of  one  or  two  notes  of  con- 
trasting color.  Let  the  pronounced  color  come  in 
draperies  and  be  echoed  in  small  quantities  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  room,  as  in  page  202. 

Which  rooms  need  subdued  colors,  and  which 
require  bright  ones?  Warm  colors  intensify  heat 
and  reflect  warmth.  A  room  facing  north  may  be 
made  to  glow  by  the  proper  use  of  warm  colors. 
Yellows  verging  to  orange,  orange-reds,  poppy  reds, 
transparent  ambers,  brilliant  red-browns,  and  golden 
browns,  which  are  highly  desirable  in  a  sunless 
fcom,  would  be  unendurable  in  a  sunshiny  room 
on  a  warm  day.  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Pennell  in 
The  Life  of  James  McNeil  Whistler  describe  a 
room  that  Whistler  decorated  as  "one  of  those  prim- 


PLATE    XXVII 


Color  in  the  Room  203 

rose  yellows  which  seemed  as  if  the  sun  were  shin- 
ing, however  dark  the  day."  To  provide  refreshing 
contrasts  to  the  glare  or  heat  of  the  sun,  a  room  with 
a  southern  exposure  needs  cool  colors,  such  as  pea- 
cock blues,  heliotropes,  blue-violets,  dull  lavenders 
with  blue  shadows,  olive  or  emerald  greens,  dull 
blue-greens,  and  deep  blues  and  grey-blues.  Colors 
at  their  fullest  intensities  should  be  used  only  in 
small  quantities. 

There  are  many  schemes  of  brilliant  colors  which 
when  discriminately  brought  together  will  enrich 
and  add  charm  to  a  room.  A  room  of  striking  con- 
trasts of  color  daringly  used  is  one  with  walls  of  a 
soft  brown  not  unlike  the  tawny  color  of  the  sun- 
burnt bloom  of  bluegrass.  The  floor  is  of  a  darker 
value  than  the  walls,  and  four  large-paneled  colonial 
doors  are  painted  an  apple  green,  brilliant  but  not 
crude.  The  chairs  are  ebony,  with  mellow  purple 
velvet  cushions.  The  only  pictures  on  the  walls 
are  Japanese  prints  with  vigorous  lines  of  black 
amid  their  coloring.  The  scheme  is  daring  and  suc- 
cessful. A  room  of  quiet  contrasts  is  that  in  which 
the  walls  are  cafe-au-lait,  with  mulberry  draperies, 
dark  grey  rugs,  and  ebony  furniture.  Still  another 


204  Home  Planning 

has  walls  of  a  soft  grey,  dark  grey  and  violet  floor 
covering,  blue-green  upholstery  on  walnut  furniture, 
and  heliotrope  figured  draperies.  The  use  of 
painted  furniture  brings  color  into  a  room.  A  room 
has  recently  been  completed  with  grey-violet  walls, 
walnut  wood-work,  cream  net  curtains  with  an  over- 
drapery  of  deep  violet-blue  velour  suspended  from 
a  copper  rod,  and  most  of  the  furniture  painted  with 
vermillion  enamel,  one  or  two  pieces  being  painted 
in  a  complementary  color,  a  grey-green.  This  room, 
which  is  subdued  and  rich  in  its  color,  opens  into 
a  room  aglow  with  mellow  buff. 

There  is  a  certain  quality  in  a  room  which  can 
be  designated  only  as  glow.  It  is  the  result  of 
perfect  balance  in  the  neutrality  of  the  background, 
and  the  use  of  softened  yet  vivid  color.  Sometimes 
we  find  this  glow  in  stained  glass,  more  often  in 
oriental  rugs.  For  this  reason  oriental  rugs  of  good 
color  are  more  necessary  in  a  living  room  than  fine 
furniture.  Such  a  rug  all  by  itself  can  give  tone 
to  a  room  with  any  kind  of  furniture,  from  ma- 
hogany or  rattan  to  golden  oak,  provided  the  lines 
of  the  furniture  are  unimpeachable.  With  strong 
color  in  rugs,  furniture  and  walls  must  not  intrude, 


Color  in  the  Room  2O$ 

but  must  retire  to  a  dim  background. 

We  sometimes  see  rooms  with  a  glow  of  color 
in  which  no  oriental  rug  is  used.  A  specific  ex- 
ample of  such  a  room  is  one  which  has  wood-work 
stained  dull  grey,  waxed,  not  polished.  The  walls 
are  also  dull  gray.  The  windows  have  over- 
draperies  of  dull  blue  hung  straight.  Around  a  dull 
red  brick  fireplace  is  a  mantel  of  grey  wood.  The 
pictures  in  dull  gold  frames  are  faded  in  tone.  The 
furniture  is  grey  brown,  and  some  open  bookcases 
run  along  two  walls.  So  far  with  a  single  exception 
of  the  red  brick  fireplace  there  is  nothing  that  counts 
for  color,  yet  the  room  is  aglow.  Nothing  gives 
a  richer  effect  in  actual  color  in  a  room  than  the 
variegated  colors  of  the  backs  of  books.  They  are 
as  charming  as  an  oriental  rug,  and  the  open 
shelves  add  to  the  charm. 

The  main  thing,  then,  in  the  arrangement  of  a 
roo'n  is  the  striving  for  the  best,  the  most  har- 
monious result  that  can  be  obtained.  One  way  to 
accomplish  this  is  to  arrange  continually,  building 
one  experience  upon  another,  in  an  earnest  effort  to 
secure  finer  relations,  finer  proportions.  Let  us  have 
rooms  which  once  arranged  are  always  beautiful; 


206  Home  Planning 

rooms  which  can  form  backgrounds  that  are  fitting 
and  dignified  not  only  at  the  time  we  see  them,  but 
later  in  our  memories;  rooms  fit  to  be  homes  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word;  "rooms  that  shall  in  no 
way  embarrass  our  friends,  ample  enough  to  contain 
them,  simple  enough  to  leave  them  unoppressed, 
yet  with  artistry  to  please,  and  to  lead  them,  if  they 
would,  to  do  likewise." 


TO  THE  TEACHER 

The  need  today  is  to  give  art  its  proper  place  in 
the  life  of  every  individual  and  in  the  community. 
We  need  to  make  art  so  real,  so  vital  that  the  stu- 
dent, not  only  while  he  is  with  us  but  after  he  has 
left  us,  works  both  consciously  and  unconsciously 
from  principle  as  well  as  from  a  sense  of  beauty. 
We  need  to  help  the  student  to  establish  within 
himself  a  sensitiveness  to  beauty  in  proportion,  form, 
color,  and  balance,  which  shall  serve  him  as  a 
working  basis  not  only  in  the  problem  at  hand  but 
in  the  discriminating  exercise  of  good  judgment  in 
whatever  direction  his  calling  may  lead.  We  need 
to  help  fix  in  his  mind  the  fact  that  "beauty  is  the 
most  useful  thing,"  and  should  be  the  commonest, 
not  the  costliest,  thing  we  know. 

Give  the  student  a  practical  experience  in  arrang- 
ing a  room.  A  collection  of  furniture,  pictures, 
casts,  rugs,  books,  and  pottery  may  be  placed  in  the 
classroom.  With  these  materials  each  student  should 
have  the  opportunity  to  arrange  a  wall  beautifully 
in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  balance,  good  spac- 
ing, and  harmony.  The  result  may  then  be  criti- 

207 


PLATE   XXVIII 


cised  and  discussed  by  the  class,  and  necessary 
changes  in  arrangement  may  be  made.  Plates  XIV 
and  XVIII  show  two  views  of  a  room  in  an  old 
mansion  which  was  decorated  and  furnished  by 
students  in  a  competitive  contest.  The  best  design 
was  chosen  and  carried  out  in  every  detail.  Such 
work  may  extend  to  the  actual  rearrangement  of  a 
room  in  each  student's  home,  though  this,  of  course, 
can  not  have  the  teacher's  direct  supervision. 

The  student  should  make  repeated  visits  to  the 
different  dealers  in  furniture,  pictures,  domestic  and 
oriental  rugs,  wall  papers  and  draperies,  bed  and 
table  linens,  chinaware,  pottery,  and  kitchen  uten- 
sils. He  should  endeavor  to  choose  for  his  project 
materials,  utensils,  and  furniture,  the  quality,  useful- 
ness, and  beauty  of  which  should  determine  their 
fitness.  Each  student  should  keep  a  carefully  item- 
ized account  of  each  supposed  expenditure.  He 
must  place  nothing  in  his  elevations  or  in  his  item- 
ized accounts  of  expenditures  that  he  has  not  found 
in  the  stores.  As  he  enlarges  his  experience  and 
trains  his  judgment,  he  finds  the  limited  sum  allotted 
to  him  to  spend  a  stimulus  rather  than  a  detriment. 
The  solution  of  the  problem  of  maintenance  and 

209 


the  preparing  of  budgets  of  clothing  and  food  for 
the  family  of  five  for  one  year,  mentioned  in  the 
first  chapter,  should  be  an  organic  part  of  the  course. 
So  closely  allied  to  the  real  problem  of  life  is  this, 
that  a  student  goes  beyond  mere  representation  in 
this  concrete  expression  of  his  ideals.  Whatever 
the  outcome  for  him  in  the  future,  his  mind  is 
aroused  and  his  imagination  quickened  to  the  true 
usefulness  of  art. 


210 


14  DAY  USE 

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